cw: trauma response, death, vomit
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Hobi's POV.
Hoseok really wishes he could burn the memory down to ashes to throw in the wind and forget about, but the scene is engraved in his brain and won't let him breathe. His mind is replaying over and over the heightened memory of Taehyung's limp body, dark locs of hair standing out against the blues and greens of the sea. He remembers being violently shaken to the core, sound and air leaving his body at once when he sees it -him. Then the slight delay while the horror settles in and before he knows it he's surrounded with hollowed souls crying out in pain at the universe. He can't distinguish their voices and he's not thinking too clearly. He knows that he sees Yoongi making a run for it but it's like he's watching the whole thing from above himself, mind and body worlds apart. He only registers that it's loud and it's horrifying and it's unfair, so terribly unfair. You lost him- you lost him- you lost him- you lost him- you lost him- you lost him- you...
"How long until the ambulance gets here?" Seokjin.
"I don't know! I'm tryin to call, hyu- Yes, hi. M-my friend is- He's..." Namjoon.
When Hobi gains control of his body again, his first reflex is to protect. To rescue his members and keep them away from the treacherous waters. He's overwhelmed with the need to save the ones that are left. He knows it's stupid, somewhere deep down in a part of himself that he can't quite reach. He knows that they need to swim towards Taehyung to try and save him, but all he can hear is the fact that the ocean is dangerous, the ocean took Taehyung. So when he sees Yoongi make a run for it and Jungkook dash after him, when he sees Jimin slowly walking towards the sea and Jin and Namjoon standing on the shore, he loses it. He knows it makes no sense but he's not even sure if the sun will rise tomorrow at this point and he won't let the ocean take anyone else from him. He's heartbroken and he can't -won't take anymore losses. So he throws himself at Jimin, who's closest to him. His arms are wrapped around the petite figure, holding as tight as he can as he digs his heels in the pebbles in an attempt to stop him from walking.
"Please don't go, please don't go -please, I can't. Stop, Jimin-ah please-" and he's aware that he's hiccuping on his tears but nothing matters. Please let me save one of them. He doesn't expect Jimin to slap him. Jimin himself doesn't expect it but neither of them are thinking rationally and everything already hurts.
"I'm already gone, let me go!" the smaller man hisses at him.
"W-what?" surely it's not too late for him, surely-
"He's dying, isn't he? Taehyung's dying, hyung. And if Taehyung's really dead then ...how can I be alive?" Jimin's face goes from lost to emotionless in a fraction of a second and it's scary. "I don't feel alive."
"Shut up, j-just shut up."
"But it's true." Jimin goes on, expression calm and tone soft, like he's just come to happily accept it. "Don't you feel it? It's so cold in here." he says, tapping his heart. "I wonder if Taehyung is cold. Do you think he feels it?"
Hobi just backs away from him. He's shocked at the sound of his voice and he can't help but flinch. This Jimin is not the empathetic boy that he needs to protect from the horrors of the world. He isn't the dongsaeng he's trying to save. He's just a version of him that's too hurt to stray from macabre thoughts, and Hoseok realises that maybe he's really too late. There's no one left to save if Taehyung dies today. So he lets go of Jimin and dares to look at the ocean, because now that seems like the logical thing to do. He looks for any movement in the water but he can't see Yoongi and his heart stops again. Not him too -please. The seconds pass and there's no sign from either members and he thinks that the universe must truly hate him to take two of his dearest friends away from him so cruelly. But then his breath gets knocked out of him and his hyung's head breaches the surface, gasping for air and crying out to the wind. Two people. One inhale, one exhale. Two thoughts. He's alive. He found Taehyung.
He's dizzy with the speed of reality catching up back to him. Yoongi is struggling to keep them both above the water but he found him, and Hobi thinks that maybe, maybe he can let himself hope. It's fragile and it can shatter and disappear at any moment, but there's a slim chance that things might be ok and it reignites a fire inside of him. Jungkook has now reached Yoongi and they're holding Taehyung between the two of them, fighting the waves as they get closer to the shore. For the first time since he dropped his sandwich and the world stopped turning, Hoseok doesn't feel miles away from the beach and he finds himself looking towards the two men behind him. Namjoon is still on the phone with the emergency services and he's holding a hand over his mouth, covering it in a silent prayer. Their oldest hyung on the other hand starts to run, ready to help when they get closer. Jimin... he's just staring at the water. Hobi doesn't think he even sees the three men finally stepping foot on the beach because he's looking in the wrong direction.
But Hobi is more than ready to put some distance between the sea and his friends and he quickly helps Seokjin lay Taehyung on his back. Namjoon approaches them, phone in hand and asking for a pulse. The eldest seems to have things in control, so he steps back to give him space to work. He stops to take everything in. A few feet away from the three men, the youngest is completely out of breath, hands on his knees as he tries to stop the bile that rises in his throat. Behind him and barely out of the waves' reach, Yoongi catches Hobi's attention next. He's staring into space, blinking rapidly and Hoseok knows the signs but he's not fast enough to catch him when his knees buckle under his weight.
"Yoongi!"
"Tae? Shit, he's not breathing-"
"They say to start CPR-"
It all happens at once. Too many things occur in the span of a second and he decides to ignore most of it. When he reaches the rapper's side, he drops to his knees and grabs him by the shoulder to hold him up. Yoongi looks up at him with unfocused eyes, apparently amused at the whole situation.
"Oh."
"Are you ok?" Hobi asks him.
"I found him." he simply replies, smiling despite it all. It's clear that he's exhausted but all the younger rapper sees in Yoongi's eyes is gratitude. At least now there's hope. And Hobi doesn't know if he wants to kiss him or punch the stupid smile off of his face so he just holds on to him -because Taehyung is still lying unresponsive next to them and he needs something to ground himself. He tries to turn a blind eye to the world around him but he knows that Jungkook's throwing up not too far away while Jimin probably hasn't moved a muscle. A quick look confirms that the young dancer hasn't moved from where he hit him and Hobi wonders if he's aware at all that Taehyung isn't in the water anymore. He turns back around when he feels a hand grabbing his arm in return.
"You did. You found him."
The ride to the hospital is messy, disorganised and it all passes in blurr. A part of him remembers Seokjin shouting out in joy and Namjoon throwing his phone in the distance because he couldn't contain his relief. Taehyung is out of the water and he's alive -except he doesn't wake up. They expect him to cough up water and start talking like they do in the movies but he doesn't and they have to turn him on his side so that he doesn't choke. Jungkook, Yoongi and Hoseok are still sitting in their respective spots and they don't have the mental or physical strength to get any closer. When the paramedics arrive and take over, they keep saying that they're losing him and it just doesn't seem to make sense because Taehyung was ok not a minute ago.
"His O2 levels are too low!"
"He's seizing!" they say.
What does that even mean? He doesn't know who called their manager or when he was called, but a car is waiting for them and shows up a little after the ambulance does. Blankets are wrapped around them. They're offered water. Someone is packing all of their belongings. Another person is making phone calls, without a doubt warning the local hospital that a celebrity -7 idols, are about to be brought in. Hobi is too tired to care about the media but he hears Namjoon voice his worries. Then Taehyung is taken away from them and he has to watch the ambulance drive away. None of them are allowed to accompany him and he feels helpless.
"You're in shock." they're told, and it makes sense he supposes.
Their own medics are taking care of the six men left on the beach. Hobi walks back to the van without too much trouble and Yoongi is brought to the seat next to him right after. His presence proves to be comforting and once again Hobi extends a hand in his direction, holding onto the older man who rests his head on him. He watches as he closes his eyes, finally allowing himself to rest. Through the tinted windows, Hobi can see the maknae gag again as their staff try to help him up. They support his weight like they did Yoongi's, and slowly he's led to the vehicle.
"Seokjin-ah, we're ready to leave."
Hobi remembers the sound of his hyung breaking at that point. He had sunk to his knees as if he was processing the whole day all at once -and maybe he was. He hadn't even cried yet. The staff look at him with pity and give him some space, while he held onto Taehyung's discarded phone like a lifeline. Two members are left. He remembers searching for the leader from where he sat, only to realise that he had joined Jimin's side and was attempting to speak with him.
"What is he doing?" Hobi asks.
"I think he's trying to get Jimin to come." replies Yoongi.
"...Is he ok?"
Neither of them answer Jungkook. They're not even completely sure that they know who it is he's asking about. But what could they possibly tell him anyways? Not a single one of them was ok, and Hobi had come to accept that truth. Now he just wanted to head to the hospital as soon as possible to get some updates on Taehyung. He knew that they wouldn't be told right away, that they might have to wait for hours to get answers, but he longed to be by his dongsaeng's side. He jumped at the sound of Namjoon opening the car door, guiding a teary-eyed Jin inside.
"We're... leaving Jimin here for now. Ready to go?"
Taehyung's POV.
His chest hurts. That's the first thing he registers. Then the pain properly kicks in and he can feel his throat, then his head -he winces at the discomfort. He opens his eyes and screws them back shut instantly. The brightness is blinding and he thinks he might just go back to sleep. He would relax but he's not comfortable and there's something weighing down on his face so he reaches to move it out of the way but a hand stops him.
"Oh! he's back! Taehyung-sshi, can you hear me?" he doesnt recognise the voice and ignores it. He just wants to take away the pressure on his face. "I'm sorry but the mask needs to stay on, it's helping you breathe."
That statement gets his curiosity and he tries to crack open one of his eyelids again. It's a little bit less bright than he expected, but it's still painful and he groans. He doesn't recognise where he is and the ceiling is moving. Wait, no. He's laying down and being moved. The bed is moving? Taehyung has a hard time understanding what's happening and he wants to ask but he can't move his mouth. Everything feels off. It's like something's missing and he won't be at ease until he figures it out.
"You're at the hospital, do you remember what happened?" silence. "My name is Jiyeon. Don't worry, we'll take good care of you. Your friends should be on the way soon."
Taehyung has no idea who or what she's talking about but he decides he doesn't care. He's annoyed and tired and his clothes are wet. He just wants to be left alone. Surely the rest wasn't that important.
"Taehyung-sshi? Can you try to stay awake for me?" why? It's hard...
"You can't go back to sleep yet. Stay with us for a little bit longer, ok?" another voice tells him. He wants to but something is tickling the back of his neck and it's distracting. "Open your ey- oh! He's having another one!"
Jungkook's POV.
He's tired, sore and dehydrated. The hospital chair isn't comfortable but he won't leave it for anything in the world. They've finally been allowed in the room after hours and hours of crying and counting the tiles of the corridor flooring. Thankfully, Jungkook's nausea has stopped a little while ago and the fog that previously covered his mind lifted. He can almost remember the whole day clearly, and now that he knows that Taehyung is out of the woods for good he finally allows himself to relax. He thinks it's the longest day he's ever lived through. His two oldest hyungs have gone to the cafeteria to grab some coffee for all of them and he knows he needs it. Hobi is sitting in the corner with his swollen cheek, texting his sister with one hand and petting Namjoon's hair with the other, while the younger one cuddles up to his side. He's glad that they've been given a private double room for them to stay in. It's technically Taehyung's room but it's not like they're leaving anytime soon.
They knew he had almost flatlined on the way to the hospital. In the end, Taehyung wasn't really considered stable until two hours ago. They had been informed an hour after their arrival that he had suffered two seizures because his brain was deprived of oxygen for too long. The first one had occurred when he was still in the ambulance and unconscious. His jaw had clenched shut because of it, not that it mattered since he was passed out then. The nurse told them that Taehyung had however been awake when the second one hit. He had just arrived on location and was being wheeled in when it happened. According to her he had seemed pretty confused but they were relieved to see that he could hear and understand them before he passed out. A few tests were then done to rule out brain damage and they did things that Jungkook didn't fully understand to make sure that there wasn't any water left in his lungs and stomach. He was given pain meds to soothe the feeling of having a tube forced down his throat and numb the discomfort left by the number Jin had done on his ribs and sternum. Taehyung had apparently woken up again later and the members were sad to have missed it, but they understood that the hospital personnel needed to take care of him first and foremost.
They heard about Jimin through their manager shortly after. The man informed them that he was in good hands, a floor above Taehyung. Jungkook felt sorry when he heard that they had to sedate his hyung but he knew that Jimin was safe and the doctors had been pretty confident that his catatonic state was temporary. The only reason they gave him anything was because he had a violent episode after they left the beach, completely refusing to leave. He had been convinced that his soulmate was still somewhere underwater and fought their staff when one of them grabbed him. Jungkook winced in sympathy. Now, many hours later, their medical teams had agreed to let them stay in the same room and Jimin was sleeping next to Taehyung. They needed the rest.
A statement had been made in regards to Bangtan suspending their activities until further notice for personal reasons that were yet to be communicated. Jungkook knew that the vague info would only spark their fans' worry, but they were planning on going live the following morning to explain the situation. The only reason they had left it unspecified was because of the members' wish to contact their families first and give them the necessary time to travel all the way to Ulsan. The maknae was looking forward to his parents' presence. I miss them so much. He knew they needed all the support they could get. Hobi had admitted that he had completely freaked out earlier that day and Jungkook was aware that all of them were going to be under close supervision for the next few days. They knew that therapy and possible medication awaited them,along with nightmares and new phobias, but in the end Taehyung was alive and beside them, and not much else could matter. Spring would come, and sure, they could never forget the events of today, but they would heal together. If anything, now Jungkook knows that not even death can separate them. Fate isn't done with the seven of them yet.