The next morning, you wake up to Yoongi staring at you with a tired face, full of worry.
“Yoongi? What’s wrong?”
“You’ve been asleep for two days..” He inhales shakily, squeezing your hand softly.
“I-I have?”
“It was the stress.” Jin pushes himself off the wall and sits next to your blanket covered legs, placing a gentle hand on your knee.
“What stress?” You ask.
They both stare at you as if you’ve grown another set of eyes on your neck.
“I’m not going to argue with you, only because you’re still healing.” Yoongi puts his hands up and stands.
“Come, now that you’re awake, you can go shower.” He watches you slowly sit up, wincing at your arm touching the bed.
“Careful.” He helps you up and you follow him into the bathroom.
Passing by the kitchen, you see the others sitting at the island.
“Noona, how are you feeling?” Jimin sits up close to Taehyung and you smile.
“I’m okay. I’ve been better.” You lift your arm slightly and he scrunches his nose at you.
“He’s been guarding your door from the boys for the past few days.” Jin suddenly appears beside you, lowering to your height and whispering in your ear.
“He has?” You ask and his tail stiffens whenever Namjoon or Jungkook move. You wave him over and he happily trots in your direction.
Stopping in front of you, he looks down at you and you wave him down to crouch.
He leans over to your height and you kiss his forehead, brushing his hair away from his face.
“Thank you for keeping me safe.” You whisper and he blushes, looking everywhere but at you. He suddenly turns away and scampers to his seat, hiding his face in Taehyung’s shoulder. Taehyung chuckles and leans on the counter, staring at you.
“Come.” Yoongi gently pulls your shoulder and leads you to the bathroom again, leaving you on the toilet to get your clothes.
Jin stays in the bathroom with you and you tilt your head slightly.
“What is it?” He asks.
“Ah, nothing.” You turn your head and he raises a brow.
“Say it.”
“Mh, you guys don’t have to do all this. I’m not immobile..”
“We know. We-”
“Just don’t want me to do this all on my own, I know..” You take a deep breath and he crouches in front of you.
“I don’t like it when you think you’re on your own.”
“I don’t think that.”
“You sure act like it.” Yoongi comes back into the bathroom with your towel and fresh clothes. And a bag.
“I don’t want you guys to have to worry about stuff like that anymore.” You let Jin cover your arm in the bag and Yoongi closes the door behind him.
“Don’t get involved with that anymore and we won’t worry about it.” Yoongi counteracts and you decide it’s best not to continue the conversation.
Jin puts on a white alpaca facial headband and covers his eyes. You cover your mouth and turn away, holding in your laughter.
“I can hear you.” He sassily places his hands on his hips and you clear your throat.
“Sorry.” You turn to Yoongi and choke when you see him wearing a brown cookie character headband over his eyes as well.
“Let’s get started.” He says with no tone of humor in him whatsoever. You nod and agree outloud when you remember they can’t see you.
The kitchen is silent except for Jimin’s fingernails clinking on his glass cup. Taehyung suddenly grabs the cup and throws it out the window next to Hoseok’s head.
“You’re paying for that.” Hoseok scrolls through his phone and takes a sip of his water.
Jungkook hasn’t moved a single inch since he took a seat and his neck is starting to hurt. Namjoon is asleep sitting up.
“Jungkook, crack your neck before I crack it for you. I can smell your discomfort from here.” Taehyung crosses his arms and Jungkook does as he’s told. Placing his hands back down, he glances at Namjoon, then at Hoseok. He jumps when he sees he’s staring back at him, looking back at the same black spot on the marble counter he’s been staring at since he sat down this morning.
Namjoon's head keeps threatening to fall and Jimin’s tail keeps stiffening every time it does.
“I have to go to the farm today.” Taehyung sighs and stands, leaving the room.
“I have to go to the studio today.” Hoseok gets up and waves Jimin over. He gets up and follows Hoseok out of the kitchen.
Namjoon’s head falls and Jungkook catches him before he hits the counter, startling him awake.
“They’re gone.” Jungkook doesn’t move his eyes and Namjoon sits up, stretching out his arms.
“Hm..” He yawns and hears you giggling from the bathroom.
“She’s awake?”
“Mm..” Jungkook responds and Namjoon looks down at him.
“How’s your heart?”
“I’m fine..”
Namjoon looks up and sees you walk out of the bathroom fully dressed and in new bandages. He looks away when you look at him.
“Can I have a minute?” You look towards Yoongi and Jin, who shake their heads.
“I’ll stay here. Jin, go.” Yoongi crosses his arms and Jin takes his leave.
You don’t force Yoongi to leave, but let him sit behind you on the counter as you take a seat in front of them.
“How are you?” You look at Jungkook and he starts shaking.
“I’m sorry…” He whispers. Namjoon holds out a hand for him, so do you.
He shakes his head.
“I don’t want to hurt you again…”
“You won’t, I’m okay.”
“No, you’re not!” Jungkook’s chair screeches against the floor as he stands up, startling Namjoon.
“You could have died! Look at your arm! You’re gonna be stuck with that forever!” His eyes are full of tears, each drop following each other down his soft cheeks.
“Jungkook-” Namjoon reaches for him and Jungkook steps away.
“This wouldn’t have happened if you didn’t keep pressing me for answers!” Jungkook shouts in his face, his tears jumping off his cheeks onto Namjoon’s jeans.
“I wanted to be happy with Noona but you ruined it! I was finally fitting in and you ruined it! Just like always! I don‘t even know why I ever stayed with you!!” Jungkook storms off in the direction to your bedroom and Yoongi jumps off the counter in case he tries running out again.
You close your eyes and Namjoon hiccups, your eyes snap open.
“Namjoon..?”
He suddenly grabs at his hair, tugging harshly and breathing heavily. You sit up and he starts choking on his own sobs, his eyes squeezing so tight you're worried he might hurt himself.
His world is frozen and barren and so lonely and so utterly terrifying and he’s hoping his world won’t go back to what it once was before he met Jungkook.
He’s crying and choking, internally begging with his whole heart, asking the world to make it stop, make it stop, please make it stop-
“Namjoon.”
He jumps when he feels warm, soft hands touch his wet cheeks, bringing him out of his panic attack.
“Look at me, everything is okay. You’re here, you’re alive, you’re breathing, you’re safe.” You don’t let go of him or lose your eye contact when you slowly remove his hands from his hair.
His eyes stare in yours when you remind him how to breathe, fear or rage nowhere present.
“That’s good, keep breathing like that, okay? You’re doing so well.” You smile softly and hold his hands close to your heart.
“Keep going until your heart feels like this, okay?” You caress the back of his hands and keep them on you. He sniffles, nodding slightly.
“Good, you’re doing good.” You brush his koala ears and hair, holding a hand on his cheek and wiping his tears away.
“There you go, you’re getting there.”
He hiccups again and his once frozen, barren and lonely inner world, is not so lonely or cold anymore.
“Can you do something for me?” You ask in a whisper. He nods again.
Reaching for the counter, you don’t lose your eye contact with him. You slide him a glass of water and hold it with him.
“Drink this for me, hm?” You hold his left hand as he holds it with his right, taking slow sips but never looking away in fear you’d suddenly disappear and he’d be alone and frozen again.
When he finishes drinking, he hands you the glass and you smile, putting the cup down on the counter for him.
“Thank you, you’re breathing well. I’m proud of you.” You kiss his forehead and his cheeks dust pink. He squeezes your hand and looks behind you for a split second.
Everyone had entered the room with worried faces, Jin covering Jimin’s ears.
He realized he screamed the words he was thinking.
Everyone had fear or worry on their faces and he didn’t like it, but when he looked down at you, he saw warmth and pride and care.
“Can you say something?” You brush his hair off his forehead and he shakes his head.
“No? That’s okay.” You smile at him again and he blushes at the way you stare at him as if he was the only human in the world, eyes only for him.
“You want to sit somewhere else?”
He nods again.
“Okay, do you want to go on the couch? Do you want more water?” Continuing to make sure he’s okay, he glances at the empty glass. Yoongi puts down another one quietly along with a disinfectant wipe packet.
“Here.” You pass him the glass and he keeps his eyes on the water as he drinks.
You rip the packet open and push the wipe out, unfolding it and dabbing his cheeks gently. He flinches away from you and you stop. You knew he wasn’t drinking, just trying to keep himself distracted.
“I’m sorry, I have to clean your cheeks.” You sit up and he puts his cup down.
“Can I?”
He turns his head and you continue cleaning his cheeks from the scratches he gave himself unknowingly.
He doesn’t understand why you don’t just use a regular tissue, or why his cheeks burn when you touch them with the disinfectant.
“There. You want to go on the couch?” You don’t let go of him as you slowly rise from your seat, him following.
“Mm…” He responds and you smile at him again.
“There’s a response, thank you.” You lead him carefully to the living room, walking backwards and reaching out behind you to feel where you’re going.
“Let’s sit here, yeah?” You take him to the couch and he sits close to you, shivering when your arms brush against each other.
You hold his hand and cover him with a couch blanket, letting him hiccup every now and then until he falls asleep.
“Why did he suddenly start acting like that?” Jimin asks Hoseok as they drive to Hoseok’s dance studio.
“When the brain is hurt enough, some people go into shock and don’t know how to cope. When (Y/n) touched him, he
went back into a safe space into his brain because she brought him out of the bad space that made him go into shock in the first place.” He glances around the street as he drives, looking down to his phone in case either you or Yoongi text him.
“Does that mean Noona is his safe space?” Jimin asks and Hoseok stops at a stoplight, now contemplating.
“Hm..I guess you could say it like that.”
-----🌙-----
“No, you’re not gonna go to work like this. Especially not, that.” Yoongi gestures to Namjoon who's currently sleeping on the couch.
“I’m fine, Yoongi. Namjoon’s attachment will go away when he wakes up.” You glance at him and Yoongi runs a frustrated hand through his hair.
“I don’t understand why you have to take care of him when you’re the one who’s injured.”
“I’m not injured.”
“And if I punch your injured arm, are you gonna say the same thing?”
“No.. But mental injuries stick longer than physical.”
“Not when there’s a scar left behind.”
“But it doesn’t hurt anymore, mental scars still hurt after your brain chooses to ignore it, if at all.” You wag a finger at his face and he tries to bite it, scaring you.
“Yoongi!” You whisper shout, swatting at him when he grabs your hand and tries biting you, mouth wide open.
“Mm..”
“Oh, great.” Yoongi rolls his eyes when Namjoon starts stirring awake.
“Sh, go rest. You haven’t slept in two days.”
“I wonder why.” He crosses his arms and you push him out of the room, following him into the bedroom.
“What-”
“Shh.” You press a finger to your lips and lean your ear against the door, listening.
“Mh..” He rubs his head against the couch and sits up, his hair now a mess.
“Noona..?”
You move from the door and look at Yoongi.
“Did he just-”
“Did I just-”
“Namjoon?” Jin walks down the stairs and stops by the front door.
“How are you feeling?” He asks quietly.
“Uh, I’m alright..” He rubs at the back of his neck and Jin nods.
“Don’t forget to drink water, okay? (Y/n) can’t take as much care of you today because of her health, so behave.” He points a stern finger in his direction, then walks out the door.
“He’s acting weird..”
He stands up and sees his glass of water on the coffee table next to his seat.
“Stay in here.” Yoongi pleads, tugging on your shirt softly.
“I can’t do that, you know that.” You kiss his cheek and open the door, making Namjoon freeze.
“Uh, hey.” You walk over to him and he puts his now finished glass back on the table.
“Hey.”
“How’s your head?” You ask.
“I have a small headache.” He rubs his arm awkwardly, unsure of how to continue.
“Have you eaten?”
He shakes his head.
“That’s why, stay here.” You walk away from him into the kitchen, bringing out a large pot from the fridge.
He follows you into the kitchen and sits in his usual spot at the island.
“What is that?” He asks, picking at his fingers.
“It’s rice and something Jin made, I can never remember the name.”
“Tinga.” Yoongi comes into the kitchen and takes his seat.
“Right.”
“I don’t know what that is..” Namjoon looks between you and Yoongi.
“It's shredded chicken with like… I don’t know, spicy chipotle? I don’t know. Jin always finds dishes from his friends which are from different cultures. But since both of you haven’t eaten, I’m serving you both.” You smile at him and he looks away.
“Have you eaten?” Yoongi asks Jungkook mentally, startling the bunny.
“No..”
“I’ll do my own.” Yoongi suddenly gets up and you frown at him.
“Why?”
“Doesn’t matter, just still make 3. I’m gonna want seconds.” Yoongi starts serving himself and you smile, knowing what he meant.
“Alright.” You lean your head on his shoulder and Namjoon stares at you, the way your hair leans in Yoongi’s direction along with the rest of your body.
Yoongi starts heating his food and checking your arm as you start flipping tortillas on the stove.
“Jin didn’t wrap it too tight, did he?”
“No, I would have said something.” You rub at the bandage and Namjoon watches as your eyes light up whenever Yoongi checks for your wellbeing.
He fidgets with a napkin nearby and looks away, finding the walls more interesting.
“I’ll be back.” Yoongi kisses your hair and takes his bowl upstairs along with a few tortillas. You start heating Namjoon’s.
“Um… Uh…” He starts, sitting up. You give him your attention. He clears his throat, covering his mouth.
He mumbles something and you tilt your head.
“Hm?”
“I said,” He says a little louder than he intended, flinching at his own volume. Your eyebrows raise in amusement.
“Sorry..I said, thanks..”
Your heart picks up.
“O-oh..” You don’t know what to say, looking around.
You both stay in silence for a while until the microwave beeps loudly, scaring the both of you.
You take his plate out and hand it to him, putting a few tortillas in a napkin in front of him.
“You can start.” You smile at him and he nods, digging in.
His eyebrows raise in surprise at the flavor of the sauce and spices, the rice and chicken complimenting each other.
“Jin made this?” He asks after he swallows.
“He did.” You turn to him as you heat Yoongi’s plate.
“Wow..” He continues eating and you can’t seem to stop smiling, turning back to flipping tortillas.
He hasn’t had a fully homecooked meal like this in so long. He doesn’t count when he ate breakfast with you or when you got takeout, because it’s not the same.
Yoongi comes down empty handed and you put his plate down along with yours, turning off the stove and taking your seat.
“Ready for seconds?” You ask playfully.
“As if I’m gonna eat like my first.” He smiles at you and you start eating after him.
He’s learned to not even wait for you since you’ll starve yourself waiting for him to take the first bite. He doesn’t like it when you do that, but he knows he would do the same for his family.
When Namjoon finishes, you pass him a drink and he hisses from the spice of the food. You laugh.
“Spicy?”
“A little.” He takes a drink and chugs it, Yoongi watching him.
“Dude, you’re gonna choke.” Yoongi sets down his cup and Namjoon puts down his drink, taking a long exhale.
“I’m alive.” His eyes squeeze together as he laughs and you try not to choke as you laugh mid chew.
“Oh my god.” Yoongi pats your back and you swallow, quickly taking a drink of your own.
“Alive?” Namjoon asks and you let out a breathless laugh when you’re done.
“Just barely.” You reply.
“(Y/n) you’re gonna throw up if you don’t quit burping.” Yoongi hovers his hand over your back and you cover your mouth with your arm every time you do.
“Quit making me laugh and we won’t have this problem.”
When Yoongi finishes, he heads up to where Jungkook is staying.
“Can I come in?” He asks. The door opens slightly, inviting him in.
Yoongi comes in and shuts the door behind him.
“I’ve been wanting to ask you something, actually.” You talk to Namjoon, who you’ve forcefully involved in cleaning the dishes.
“Hm?”
“Your hair is purple.”
“You can see?” He comments snidely. You squint at him.
“I wasn’t done. When did you dye it?”
“A while ago, not with permission at least.”
“It’s fading.”
“So is my will to live but here we are.”
“Namjoon!”
“Kidding. Sort of.” He rolls his eyes when your head whips back to look at him.
“Thanks again, by the way..” He mentions and you look at your hands.
“It’s alright. I’m sorry I touched you without your consent..”
“No, I needed it.. Who knows what I would’ve done if you didn’t stop me, I know they didn’t want to get near me..” He whispers and you finish putting away the dry dishes.
“They wouldn’t want to hurt you, as much as it seems otherwise.” You reassure and he tips his head side to side.
“You shouldn’t believe those words so wholeheartedly.”
You furrow your brows.
“What?”
“Nothing. Nevermind. I don’t want to start another argument.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Neither do I.”