It was one of those days where surprisingly (Y/N) had clocked out of work earlier than the boys, for once, but it was as Lia had finally awoken and so she needed to make it to the hospital before visiting times were over. She waved goodbye to the boys and other managers before rushing to the cab she had called.
All the way to the hospital, (Y/N) was a bundle of nerves- both anxious and happy. It had been a week or so since the accident and surely that wasn't good news even if it meant that her friend had finally awoken. She couldn't wait to see her, shake her for scaring her like that and then coddle her to death.
She darted into the hospital, knowing beforehand the room Lia was in having previously called her brother already. She rushed in, heart in her mouth, to see Lia sitting up propped up by pillows and listening to a rambling Adam. She turned to the sound of the door opening and broke into a smile seeing (Y/N) standing there, bouquet of flowers in her hand in assorted shades of blue. Both of them smile as their eyes meet, a heavy burden lifted off both their hearts and (Y/N) darts in, discarding the bouquet on the table and flinging herself, albeit carefully, into Lia's awaiting arms. She presses herself close to her friend, her sister who she had almost lost. She can feel tears pouring down her cheeks and a wetness on her neck from where Lia is nestled but both of them can't bear to part themselves from the other.
Adam just nestles himself closer to both figures, both maternal for him, he was waiting for his aunt to get here, as much as his mum smiled at him, he heard the wince of pain when he threw himself at her. He could also see that despite sleeping for a long long time, she was tired. His mum needed someone to care for her too. And his aunt would do just fine at that.
After carefully removing herself from Lia's arms, (Y/N) fussed around her fixing pillows, checking the monitor and the IV drip, reading up on her stats and paling when she read the medical account for the incident. Hands shaking, she put the report down and bustled over to feed Lia insisting on doing it by hand on an assortment of dishes she'd picked up. After shutting the last container and setting Adam's sleeping figure onto the sofa. She sat down next to Lia and they finally had the chat they needed to have had. (Y/N) needed to know what had happened to Lia.
(Y/N) sat there in silence, listening to Lia talk about how the black SUV had come out of nowhere, insisting that when she had begun to cross the road knowing it was empty, and driven towards her at full force. The person who had been driving was masked too so it was hard to identify and distinguishing figures to the police who had arrived prior to (Y/N)'s arrival. (Y/N) was trying to process the information, it sounded like an attack but why? Why Lia? What did she do?
She left a few hours later during the night when her brother had come from work, taking Adam home and sending her off too. As she walked home, her body was moving on autopilot tracing her path home as her mind was still swarming with thoughts. She didn't register her surroundings at all, nor did she realise that her phone was constantly going off with incoming calls and text message alerts. She had just stepped out the lift and was walking towards her apartment when she felt a hand grip her wrist twisting her to face them.
She spun around to see a coat-clad chest and looked up to see Namjoon staring down at her, concern in his gaze but strangely she couldn't register why. She struggled to pull a smile onto her face and Namjoon noted this with a deepening worry for her. He didn't want her going back to an empty apartment, being alone when she seemed so...blank and distressed. He gently tugged her towards their apartment instead, not letting go of her as he guided her towards the living room where he pulled her down to sit next to him on the sofa.
NAMJOON POV:
I frowned seeing (Y/N) seem so blank and empty, such a stark and horrifying contrast from her usual bubbly and peppy self. It was so foreign seeing her like this and he knew when he saw her as he exited the convenience store, he was going to surprise her but seeing the blank and vacant look in her eyes he decided to follow her and keep an eye out for her. It was late at night and she wasn't wearing a coat either. Hell... it had taken him an hour to convince Jin to let him leave and even then Jin-hyung monitored him as he made sure that he was wearing enough layers before allowing him to leave. Now seeing her walk alone at night triggered a protectiveness in him and so he walked behind her providing her with a layer of security she didn't know she had.
She seemed pliant, no... unresponsive as he pulled her in towards the sofa. When he sat her down, he quickly made a detour to his room to grab a spare blanket before rushing off to get Jin from the kitchen. He rushed to her silent, still form as he wrapped her in a blanket knowing that whether or not she realised it, she was cold. Jin entered the room behind him, his pace quickening at the sight of the young girl.
I sat down next to her, asking her questions in a soft voice but she didn't seem to register them at all. Worry flooded inside me and I thought maybe she needed a distraction instead, so I texted the boys to hurry into the living room because it was an emergency and I didn't want to leave (Y/N)'s side either. The sound of rushing footsteps was soon heard and the guys all piled into the room, eyes quickly observing the situation before making their way over.
Jin hyung rushed back in carrying a tray which he set down before ordering the guys to give her some distance and settling himself on the sofa. He realised what was going on and immediately began whispering reassurances in (Y/N)'s ears, telling her that she was safe, she was home, she was with those who cared for her, she was safe, she was loved for.
Slowly, he could see recognition and awareness come back into her eyes and sluggishly she looked around and realised where she was. It was after she had scanned them all, without making eye contact Namjoon observed, before bursting into tears. It was so sudden that the boys whipped their heads toward her in concern, even Yoongi startling out of the resting position from her lap to rub her shoulder gently.
Her tears evoke an immediate response in all of us.
I wrap an arm around her blanket-covered form going to pull her into a hug but Jin-hyung pulls her off the sofa and into his lap as he tenderly wipes away the tears coursing down her cheeks.
Yoongi hyung's arm goes up to rub gently at her shoulder and Hoseok lets out a whimper in response to seeing her bright self so down before rushing to join Yoongi-hyung on the floor and place a reassuring hand on her leg.
Tae and Jimin wrap themselves around her hugging her and simply trying to let her feel the pure love and comfort from them as they sit on either side of Jin hyung.
And Kookie...his shock having almost melted away immediately darts to the tray and gently lifts a mug of chamomile towards her, bringing it to her lips and helping her take small sips between sobs.
The whole group banded together to help (Y/N), and it warmed his heart to see because it reminded him that they were one, they were family.
JIMIN POV:
I was paining to see (Y/N) hurting, she didn't deserve to spend a single moment like this. She tried so hard, worked so hard for us that to see her like this really broke my heart. I couldn't stop myself from hugging her, she needed comfort and she gave it so freely, so she deserved it as easily. I couldn't help but feeling a bit soothed and settled when she leaned unconsciously into the hug. Whatever it was, we'd help her through it.
TAE POV:
I leaned even further into (Y/N) knowing that she needed some form of reassurance and well...sometimes actions speak louder than words. The moment I'd ran into the room, I knew that whatever it was, she was going to have me with her. She was too hard on herself and too kind and loving to everyone. I knew when she left early it was to visit her sister-in-law, but what had happened to have caused this? With these thoughts running inside me, I tightened my hold on her waist.
BTS POV:
We all watched on nervously and tense, hearts settling a bit at seeing (Y/N) slowly drop off to sleep but that didn't mean we were ready to part from her, not yet.
So, they carefully detached themselves from her, Jin slowly withdrawing his arms and (Y/N) let out a small whimper unconsciously at the loss before drifting off when he soothed her.
Whilst she slept, we all talked quietly amongst ourselves about what could be the reason why she had been so detached and then distressed.
Yoongi had a slight suspicion but he dismissed it for now. It couldn't be, could it? That the attack on her friend had been intentional? But why...unless...he whipped his head to look at her sleeping form. Was her friend possibly targeted because (Y/N) was with them?!
The boys settled down for the night, each slowly leaving for their rooms, eyes lingering and feet dragging not wanting to part with her just yet. But they assured themselves, they were only a wall away.
Soon it was only Jin left, and his heart was longing to stay but a small tiny part of his brain told him that maybe she wouldn't like it, seeing someone there so soon after her breakdown, but... at the drop of a heartbeat Jin would come. And so, he slipped into his bed, mind too troubled to let him sleep and eyes refusing to shut instinctively knowing that he needed to be awake for her.
(Y/N) POV:
I sat up, chest heaving as I panted trying to gulp down air, I could feel sweat on my body, cooling slightly and making me shiver despite the blanket I was wrapped in.
I tried to focus on my surroundings and shake the images flashing through my head, a black SUV speeding towards me, towards Lia, screams piercing the air, pools of blood...
I didn't realise I had been letting out sounds that had been growing increasingly louder until a voice was talking to me
"Shhh, it's okay, you're safe, it was just a nightmare, I've got you." And I turned into the embrace gratefully, my breaths evening out and the shaking residing on hearing the strong steady thumping of his heartbeat.
I looked up to see Jin oppa looking down at me in worry, but his eyes were warm and he smiled softly at me.
"Do you want to talk about it, it'll help and no-one has to know unless you want them to..." he reassured me.
I bit my lip nervously, but despite it all I knew I had to open upto someone, whilst I didn't want to burden anyone, the rational side of my brain was telling me that it was okay to reach out for help, and all of my heart was screaming at me to unburden it, even if it is slightly.
So I nodded, looking down at my lap and the arms encircling my waist in a reassuring hug.
"I...I think the accident on Lia was intentional. And... I think that the person did it to get at me. I don't know if the two are connected, but...a black SUV with a masked figure tried to attack me too a few days ago and I feel it's the same driver..." I tailed off feeling Jin oppa's arms tighten around me, as though reassuring himself I was still there.
"But I didn't get hurt because someone pulled me out the way" I rushed to put his heart aat ease.
"(Y/N)-ah, I want you to promise you'll always come to me for anything" he emphasised, drawing in a deep breath before continuing, "and that the SECOND you feel you're in trouble you call ME immediately, I'd also feel safer if you told me where you're heading to in advance, just in case."
I absently nodded, knowing his protective elder streak was coming through, but also because I saw that nature within myself too. He mirrored me in that aspect.
But I wasn't done telling him everything.
"Also, could you stay here with me or come back to my apartment with me or..." I rambled before he interrupted gently.
"Of course...I told you to tell me if you needed me. You must be feeling terribly unsettled, don't tell them but Kookie and Joonie are especially like that too. Not to mention the rest of the boys when they feel troubled."
I shook my head.
"It's not that fully, it's more that...I can't go to sleep until I know if there's a warm, safe presence nearby...and because I haven't really lived alone much since uni, I...I've got a bit of insomnia..."
There I said it. A heavy weight I didn't know I was shouldering was lifted from my shoulders, making me feel lighter than I had since coming to Seoul.
I heard Jin oppa gasp lightly.
He turned my face to look him in the eyes and I fidgeted under his intense eyes.
"(Y/N)-ah why haven't you told us before? And to think all this time you've been alone, barely sleeping. No wonder you're exhausted like Yoongi said...wait! Does he know?!"
"I haven't told anyone except you, but I think he's got his doubts for sure...and I felt safe telling you because like it or not, you've got a lovely Eomma-ness to you. It makes me secure."
And with all the burdens lifted off my chest, I settled down in Jin oppa's embrace, throwing the blanket around him too, and finally settled off to the warm haze of sleep, sleeping deeply until the morning rose where the rest of BTS found us, woken up to the sounds of Jin quietly lecturing the boys to leave me to sleep but the reverberations in his chest woke me. And I blinked open my eyes, to see the boys all staring but pulled Jin oppa into a hug, mumbling softly into his ears.
"Thank you for being there."
"Anytime (Y/N)-ah. Anytime."
(THE CAT'S OUT THE BAG! WELL...PARTIALLY. JIN KNOWS! I FELT IT'D BE BEST TO HAVE HIM FIND OUT FIRST BECAUSE (Y/N) TRULY SEES HIM AS SOMEONE SHE CAN EASILY CONFIDE TO NOT TO MENTION HE'D BE FUMING IF YOONGI KNEW BEFORE HE DID. I DIDN'T KNOW I WAS GONNA ADD THE SECRET ATTACKER AS HAVING AN AGENDA AGAINST YOU BUT THAT'S HOW IT TURNED OUT. HMMM...WHAT SHOULD HAPPEN NEXT? OH YES! JIN IS GONNA GET (Y/N) STAYING WITH THEM SOMEHOW. ALSO...INTRODUCING AN OLD FRIEND?)
Thanks for reading this but please don't be a silent reader, I'd love to know what you think about the book so far!
PurpleQueenie <3