sleeping arrangements.

LEFT ALREADY

taehyung focus
it was 10:01pm.
he'd tried so hard to convince his mom to let him watch tv a bit longer. he even tried making a deal where he'd do his own laundry for a week so he could stay awake. he'd tried everything in order to not go to bed.

but all attempts failed and he ended up lying where he was now; curled up under the sheets in the dark.
his throat tightened and he was in desperate need for a glass of water. but he couldn't move, his legs felt like jelly and seemed unable to move.

it was 10:39pm.
he shivers despite being bundled in his duvet and blanket. his frame shakes a little as he squeezes his eyes shut.

no. no. i can sleep, taehyung forces himself to think and and breathes slowly, hoping his heart would stop beating so hard.

flashes. flashes of the past. flashes of his father screaming at his mother in the other room, his mom crying out in pain and falling against the floorboards with a thump.

taehyung's breathing increases, gasping loudly.

he remembers his father storming into his room and shouting about what a waste of space the boy was. he remembers that one incident, remembering the shards of bottle green glass decorating the floor and the brown liquid seeping into his bedroom carpet. he remembers the image of blood seeping into the carpet too.

he opens his eyes and blinks away the tears rapidly, muted sobs racking from his chest painfully.
he sits up in bed, the sheets pooling around his waist.

hoseok. hoseok. he thinks as he frantically looks around for his phone. he scrabbles under the pillow case and grabs the familiar rectangular object.

he stops with realisation. he couldn't call hoseok. hoseok had left already.

he lets tears fall freely and he leans forward with his palms pressed up against his face.

it was 10:45pm.
jungkook.

without thinking, he thumbs in jungkook's contact and presses the cool phone against his wet cheek.
he picks up after the third ring.

"hey taehyung, haven't you slept yet?" jungkook queries, he sounded the opposite of taehyung; relaxed and calm.
taehyung lets out a ragged breath.

"please come - i need you." taehyung sobs, "he's going to come for me, jungkook."