|Jungkook|
The sound of footsteps approaching his cell, caused Jungkook to sit up on his bed and stare at the door with wide eyes full of anxiety. His heart thumped in his chest and he could feel his throat clog up, preventing him from uttering a word.
The person stopped in front of the cell, earning a soft gasp from Jungkook. Rick stared at Jungkook for a second before pulling out a chain of keys and inserting a key into the lock. Jungkook's brows furrowed in confusion, Taehyung's words flashing into his mind, as he watched Rick effortlessly unlock the cell before stepping inside.
"Rick." Jungkook murmured under his breath, pulling his legs closer to himself as Rick approached him and sat down on the edge of his bed. Kook winced as he shifted his leg, the pain, from ripping his stitches, catching up to him.
Rick noticed him wincing and glanced down at his thigh, he sighed, seeing the jeans wrapped around Jungkook's legs, "Take those off, let your wound breathe. Hershel will come here after a few minutes to fix your stitches."
Jungkook chewed on his lip, nodding and kneading his black shirt, "Are you gonna yell at me?" He whispered, looking down at his hands.
Rick released a deep breath, eyeing Jungkook before placing a hand on top of Kook's shaking ones, "I wanted to....at first, but I talked to Hershel and he made me realise.....a few things." Jungkook looked up with furrowed brows, surprised that Rick wasn't loosing his shit, "Why give you another reason to leave?" Rick chuckled under his breath, repeating Hershel's words.
One of the main reason for not coming back sooner, was Jungkook's fear of facing the group. He expected them to be furious about him leaving, and he thought that they would scream and scold him before forbidding from ever leaving the prison again. So instead of facing the consequences of his actions, it was easier for Jungkook to run away from them.
"Are you...are you angry at me?" Jungkook asked quietly, wincing as he thought about Rick's answer. He stared down at his hands, watching as Rick slowly pulled his own hand away.
"I was angry," Jungkook's face twisted into a guilty expression before he slowly peeked up at Rick through his hair, "But I was confused and worried too. I didn't understand why you left and I wondered what I did wrong," Jungkook began to shake his head but Rick shushed him and continued to speak, "You left without a word and none of us knew about it. We didn't know where you went or where you were, and we were worried about you because we thought that you would get hurt out there and we would never see you again."
"I'm sorry....I..I didn't.." Jungkook choked quietly, tears gathering in the corners of his eyes and threatening to spill over, "I didn't mean to....I really....I just...." Jungkook choked up, his breathing quickening and his eye glossing over as the guilt and raw pain ate him up, "I just wanted....wanted to be worthy of being here...with all of you. I...I wasn't strong enough and you...all of you always knew what to do but I...I was just....there." Jungkook whispered through trembling lips, glaring down at his shaking hands.
Rick's brows furrowed at Jungkook's words before he opened his mouth and prepared to speak, only for Jungkook to cut him off, "Rick, I feel like I'm loosing it. I don't know...I don't know what to do, I'm so confused. I'm so so confused and I can't...I can't stop seeing them. I feel like I'm going crazy, I don't know what to do." Jungkook whimpered, tangling his hands into his hair and pulling at some of the strands, "I...I can't stop seeing them. I don't...I don't want to see them, please please make it stop." Jungkook cried out, a tear slipping out of his eyes as he grabbed Rick's hand and looked at him with fear and desperation.
Rick's throat clogged up as he stared at Jungkook with concern and confusion, "See who, Jungkook?" The leader asked calmly.
Jungkook's lips trembled and his hold on Rick's hand shifted before he breathed out quietly, "Them." Jungkook pointed a shaky finger to the corner of the room.
Rick's head snapped back to look where Jungkook was pointing, only to see nothing there. Rick nodded slowly, turning to look back at Jungkook, "Can you tell me who they are?"
Jungkook's wide eyes snapped up to Rick, trying to catch a glimpse of fear or disgust in the leader's eyes, but he saw nothing but calmness and understanding. Jungkook nodded cautiously, pulling his hand away from Rick and fumbling with his sleeves instead.
"They...they are the guys that attacked us in the forest. The big guy's name is Kolten, he...They hurt us and I....I can't stop seeing them. I don't know if this is real, if I'm here with you or if back there." Jungkook rambled, his chest rising and falling as he began to panic. He could feel something move in the corner of his eyes, causing him to flinch, only for a hand to settle down his shoulder.
Jungkook's wide, terrified eyes snapped towards Rick, who was staring back at him with so much calmness and fondness that the feeling travelled over to Jungkook.
"Breathe." Rick ordered firmly, yet softly, making sure that Jungkook's eyes focused only on him, "I can assure you that this..." Rick whispered, gesturing around them before placing his hand on his chest, "All of this is real."
"That's...that's what I'm scared of." Jungkook whimpered, another tear slipping from the corner of his eye and rolling down his cheek. Noticing the confusion on Rick's face, Jungkook breathed out, "I...I don't want it to be real. Can't it all just be a horrible nightmare?"
Rick's gaze softened at Jungkook's words before he cautiously wrapped his arm around him and pulled him towards himself. Jungkook trembled, his muscles tensing as Rick pulled him into his chest and wrapped his arms around him in a loose hug.
The gentle hands around him and the warmth of another person made Jungkook break. Flashes of memories ran through his mind, along with the need to have someone there with him and protect him from Kolten and his group. Jungkook remembered how desperate he was for Rick to be there with him, how terrified he was being all alone against Kolten's group. Now...now the leader was finally with him and Jungkook was allowed to finally break down and be vulnerable.
A small sob fell from Jungkook's lips before Jungkook attached himself to Rick, pressing his face into his shoulder. His body shook as small sobs left his lips and he released all the pain and fear he felt these past couple of days. He clung so desperately onto Rick, the fear, of not having anyone next to him while he faced Kolten, still fresh in his mind.
"Rick." Jungkook cried out between small hiccups, his hold on Rick tightening, "Rick, you have to help her."
"Help who?" Rick asked as he slowly pulled back, watching Jungkook as he wiped away his tears with his sleeves.
"Marley." Jungkook choked on another sob, pressing his hands against his eyes to stop the tears from falling, "She's injured and I...I left to get Hershel. Oh god, I left her all alone." Jungkook whimpered, squeezing his eyes shut and curling into himself.
Rick watching him with concern and confusion, not knowing who Marley was, "Jungkook-"
"No!" Jungkook snapped, knowing what Rick was about to say. He looked at the leader with a blotchy face and red, glossy eyes, "Shes only 10, Rick, and she got shot because of me! I left her alone out there and she needs me! Please, I'm begging you to help me get her here and heal her!"
Rick released a breath of shock, not ever seeing Jungkook like this. He released a deep sigh, running a hand over his face as he looked away from Jungkook and began to think.
"Okay." Rick nodded, pressing his lips into a thin line before looking back at Jungkook, who slouched and smiled in relief, "But you're gonna stay here and we're gonna go out to look for her."
"Wha- no!"
"You're injured and there's no way you're going out of this cell until you've healed." Rick stated firmly, his eyes squinting slightly after seeing Jungkook open his mouth to protest, "You've already ripped your stitches once, do it again and I'm chaining you to this bed." Rick warned, causing Kook to fall silent.
"But...how are you gonna find her if I know where she is? Or...or you don't even know how she looks like!" Jungkook quickly shot back, trying to grasp any kind of excuse to get out of this dusty cell.
Rick raised an unimpressed brow, seeing right through him, "You're going to tell us where you last saw her and Daryl will track her down. We're going to know how she looks like because you're gonna draw us a portrait." Rick shrugged, completely shattering Jungkook's pathetic excuses, causing him to pout and slouch against the metal bed.
Rick stood up from the bed, walking over to Jungkook's stuff and carefully pulling out a small notebook that he had left behind. Rick turned around and offered the notebook to Kook, who took it with a small nod.
The leader watched Jungkook for a second, a small smile tugging on his lips as he saw Jungkook laying back in his bed, alive and breathing. The boy looked up at him with wide, red eyes, looking like an innocent bambi.
Rick shook his head before turning around to leave the cell, "Hershel's gonna come fix your stitches in a few minutes."
Jungkook looked up at Rick, his brows knitted together and his nose scrunched up in confusion, "Why can't Maggie do it? I'm sure it would be easier for her to walk up here, rather than Hershel, didn't he loose his leg?"
Rick froze in the doorway of the cell, the realisation that Jungkook didn't know about Maggie and Glenn hitting like a ton of bricks.
"Rick?" Jungkook called out, his voice wavering as the tension in the air rose from Rick's weird reaction.
Rick inhaled sharply before slowly exiting the cell and sliding the door shut behind himself. Jungkook's eyes went wide as Rick locked his cell and looked up at him a second later.
"Jungkook," Rick started, wondering if it was the right time to tell this to Jungkook. He knew that the boy would want to do anything to get the couple back, but he was injured and it prevented him from doing much, unless he wanted to hurt himself even more. Despite that, Rick knew that Jungkook had the right to know and he wanted to be a better leader to the already hurt boy, "Jungkook, Maggie and Glenn are....they were captured by a guy called the governor."
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|Taehyung|
The sun rays attached onto Tae's exposed skin, licking and biting until a thin layer of sweat coated his exposed collar bones. His eyes were shut and his head was tilted back, giving the sun access to his neck and face.
Growls and snarls from the walkers filled his ears, yet he ignored them just like he ignored the stares burning into his skin. Rick's group didn't trust him, making their cautiousness and distrust known by giving him suspicious looks. Whenever Taehyung would look back at them, they would look away and act like they weren't glaring into the back of his head.
Soft footsteps mixed together with the sounds coming from the walkers, causing Taehyung to stand up straighter, yet still keep his eyes shut. He didn't really care if the group didn't trust him or wanted to come threaten him, he wasn't here for them, but rather for Rick.
"Are you planning on staying?"
Taehyung's eyes flickered open, only to be blinding by the sun shinning down on him. He winced and snapped his head down to look at Michonne instead, "I'm not sure." Taehyung muttered, "I'm sorry, I know staying in a group is the last thing you'd want, but I don't think I can leave yet. Not when I just found Rick."
Michonne hummed, staring at the walkers that were pressing against the fences, trying to reach them, "They look at us like we've killed someone." Michonne grumbled, referring to the rest of the group.
Taehyung snickered under his breath, glancing over his shoulder to look up at the prison, only to see Carol standing by the fence and staring back at him with squinted eyes, "We have killed a lot of people." Tae released a deep sigh before looking back at Michonne, "Listen, I don't really care about what they think about me or that they don't rust me, and I know you don't care either. I'm here because I...I owe Rick everything I have. You know that I wouldn't be standing here if Rick wasn't there that day to listen to me."
Michonne's scowl deepened yet her eyes had softened as she looked up at Taehyung, her eyes squinting from the sun, "If Rick is the reason why you...why you're standing next to me, then I owe him too."
Tae's lips twitched into a teasing smile, "Are you going soft on me?"
Michonne scoffed with an eye roll, "Your ugly face made me gain some sympathy for you."
"This face..." A snort left Taehyung as he gestured towards his face, his face lighting up with an arrogant smirk, "Is the creation of god."
"I thought you were an atheist." Michonne raised a brow, watching in satisfaction as Taehyung's smug look crumbled.
"Shut up." Tae grumbled, a pout appearing on his face. He crossed his arms over his chest and huffed, irritated that Michonne always ruined his comments or jokes.
"If you are planning to stay," Tae's eyes flickered away from the field in front of him and over to Michonne. Her face was serious as she looked back at him, "It's important that you gain the trust of these people. You can't surround yourself with people that you don't trust, so do what you do worst, try to gain their trust by trusting them first."
A small crease formed between Tae's brows as he furrowed them, a deep scowl tugging on his lips, "You want me...you want me to trust them?"
"Not them. If you trust Rick so much as you say you do, I'm sure you'll trust his judgement. Do you think Rick would surround himself with people that he doesn't trust or people that are bad?" Michonne raised a brow, crossing her arms over her chest and shifting her weight off of her injured leg.
"No," Taehyung breathed out, concern flashing in his eyes as he looked down at Michonne's injured leg, "I'll trust Rick, but they're not Rick."
Taehyung and Michonne snapped their head towards the prison as they heard the sound of rumbling. They watched as a car drove out of the courtyard and through the field. Taehyung's face scrunched up in confusion as the car slowed down next to them and Rick rolled down the window.
"Taehyung, you're coming with us." Rick nodded towards the back of the car, causing Tae to nod slowly and approach the car.
Taehyung opened the door and slid in, his eyes flickering from Daryl, who was sitting in the passenger seat and looking out of the window, and to Rick, who continued to drive.
"Where are we going?" Taehyung asked cautiously, his eyes squinting and his hand inching down towards his throwing knives.
"Jungkook asked me to find someone. A girl named....Marley, I think. He said that she was with him out there and she got shot." Rick explained, his fingers drumming against the steering wheel and his eyes focusing on the fence as T-Dog pulled it open for them.
"It's been two days since the brat came back. You think she's out there?" Daryl asked, his eyes flickering away from the window and over to Rick.
Rick shrugged, keeping his eyes on the road as he followed Jungkook's instructions on how to get to the place where he had last seen Marley, "I'm not sure, but it was the only way for him to calm down and I think we should try to find her. He told me she was only 10."
Taehyung's eyes snapped over to Rick after hearing the last part, "And how do you plan to find her? I'm sure that she wouldn't respond to three men calling out her name. Or if she's...a walker, how do you know that it's her? It's not like she'll respond to 'Marley'." Taehyung raised a brow, sinking into his seat and crossing his arms over his chest.
"Taehyung-"
"I don't like him, but he does have a point." Daryl grumbled under his breath, glaring out of the window.
Taehyung's lips curled up into a smirk when he heard Daryl's words. Rick released a deep sigh, keeping one hand on the steering wheel while he shoved the other into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper.
"Kook drew me a quick sketch of her." Rick explained, keeping his eyes on the road as he offered the folded paper to Daryl. Taehyung sat up straighter and leaned forward in his seat, his curiosity growing as Daryl unfolded the paper.
A girl that looked to be around 11 or 12 was visible in the photo. Her hair reached her chin and was messily coloured black with a pencil. She had a small button nose and chubby cheeks, her eyes were large and wide, yet there was a teasing smirk on her small lips. Taehyung leaned closer to Daryl, lips twitching up and eyes squinting his eyes as he caught a glimpse of a messily written 'gray' on the side of the drawing with an arrow leading to Marley's eyes.
"The plan is to get the girl, and go after Glenn and Maggie." Rick explained, taking a left turn and driving down the empty road.
Taehyung hummed, tearing his eyes away from the paper and leaning back into his seat. He leaned against the door of the car, watching as the trees flew past his window.
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Taehyung's nose scrunched up as he raised his feet higher in order for the dirt to not stick to his black boots. He released an annoyed sigh, tripping on a branch and nearly stumbling forward.
Daryl walked past him, making sure that Tae saw that he was rolling his eyes at him. Taehyung released a scoff and straightened out, rolling up the sleeves of his jacket. Small tattoos were scattered across his tan arms, covering up the scars engraved into his skin.
"Are you staying?" Rick asked him, walking up to him to walk alongside him as Daryl followed Jungkook's tracks, that they had found a few minutes prior.
Taehyung shrugged, sinking his teeth into his lower lip and looking away, "Rick, I'll be honest with you." Tae breathed out, lowering his voice so that Rick would be the only one hearing him, "That day, when you chose to not only listen to me but actually hear me, you saved my life. We both know I wouldn't have gone back there...with him. I didn't care that the cost to end the pain would be my life, I just...wanted it all to stop." Taehyung chewed on the inside of his cheek, trying to stop himself from tearing up. He winced, unwanted memories flashing in his mind and wrapping around him too tightly for his comfort.
Rick nodded slowly, not saying anything as he allowed Taehyung to express himself and release everything that he had been keeping inside for these past couple of years, "The thing is, I'll always be thankful for what you did for me. You may have done it for anyone but to me....to me you were the first person who actually chose to help me." Taehyung murmured softly, his gaze falling on the path of dry leaves in front of him, "That's why I would do anything for you and go anywhere you want me to. Even if you're not the same person you used to be, and you end up killing me, I'd....I'd let you do it."
Rick's brows raised at Tae's words and he snapped his head towards him. Taehyung's face was dead serious as he looked back at him, nothing but honestly shinning through his eyes, "If you want me to leave, I'll leave, and if you want me to stay, I'll stay. The decision is yours, but know that if there was anyone I'd follow....it's you." Taehyung breathed out, glancing at Daryl to see if he was listening, but the hunter kept his eyes downward towards Jungkook's tracks.
Rick shook his head, a hint of anger bubbling in his stomach. Not towards Taehyung, but rather towards all those people, that made Taehyung think that having someone help him was such a big deal that he owed Rick his life, "I don't want you to die for me just because you think you owe me something. What I did was something everyone, that you asked for help, should've done." Rick swallowed thickly, trying to stop the anger from slipping into his words.
"This is your life, Taehyung, and no matter what I do for you, it will always be your life." Rick was gentle as he wrapped his arm around Tae's bicep to stop him from walking forward. He was careful as he turned Taehyung around to face him, "It's your decision to stay or leave, just like every other decision you have to make is yours. I don't want you to stand by my side no matter what, especially if I'm trying to kill you. If you think that something you're doing is wrong, even if it's something I want you to do, you don't have to do it if you don't want to."
Taehyung's face scrunched up in confusion and his shoulders slumped, he wondered if he had done something wrong for Rick to be a bit angry. All he wants is to repay Rick for all the good things he had done for him, and if it meant he had to give Rick his life, he'd do it in a heartbeat. Because in the end, if Rick hadn't listened to him in that police station, Taehyung would've ended up killing himself and his life wouldn't have belonged to either of them.
"You may think that you owe me something," Taehyung looked up from his boots, his lips tilted down and his raven hair falling into his face. Rick offered him a gentle smile before turning around and continuing to walk after Daryl, "But the only person you owe something to, is yourself."
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Hello, kinky sluts! So I've been missing for a week or so because I was busy with school, but then I just lost the motivation to write. Anywhore, I hop that since its summer break, I'll be able to either publish a new chapter of 'Ephemeral' or 'XOXO' everyday. I want to finish these books and then start new ones.
Tae, Rick and Daryl are going after Marley, what do you think they'll find?
~Benikru