Chapter Text
“Liyana! Hyungs! Come look!” Soobin yelled from down the hall. I came scrambling down the stairs to see what was wrong, Namjoon and Taehyung following directly behind me. “What?! What’s happening? Are you hurt? Is someone coming?” I asked as I finally reached him. He turned and scrunched his nose. “No! Look outside! The sky is on fire!” he said excitedly. He pointed out the window. We all stepped closer and looked up at the sky. “That’s a meteor shower, Soobin!” I shouted happily.
“What’s a meteor?” he asked.
“It’s like a rock but it’s from outer space. Sometimes they get trapped in the atmosphere and they burn up and fall to earth,” Namjoon explained.
“That’s fucking radical,” Soobin gasped.
“Alright, that’s enough 90’s TV for you. That’s the second time today you’ve said ‘radical’ and I will not have that word in this house,” I said dramatically. We all laughed as we stood around the window and watched the shower. Today had actually been a really great day. “Great” in that it had been far less dramatic than the days before. We talked to the guys about moving into the temporary rental my sister had so graciously bestowed upon us. Seokjin was skeptical about us being in such an obvious place but agreed we probably needed somewhere to be on our own now that we’re engaged. He suggested we stay in the safe house a few months longer and not make the hasty decision to move in right away while the risks of danger were still pretty high. As much I wanted to disagree, I knew he was right.
“Um, guys…,” Soobin suddenly said anxiously.
“What's up, bud?” I asked.
“Are meteors supposed to come this close?” he asked, backing away from the window.
“Wha-?” I started. My question was quickly answered by a boom and the powerful shattering of glass. The boys stood at attention as the second and third windows were busted open. Namjoon sniffed the air. “ LIYANA, SOOBIN, RUN, HIDE! ” he yelled. I wasted no time in grabbing Soobin by the arm and running down the hall. “WHERE ARE WE GOING?!” Soobin shouted.
“DON’T FUCKING ASK ME! I DON'T FUCKING KNOW! JUST RUN!” I yell. * CRACK * The ceiling came crashing down in front of us. A man in heavy gear dropped into the house. “Choi Soobin. You're coming with us,” the man said. I protectively pushed Soobin behind me. “No, he's not. He's not going anywhere with anyone,” I hiss.
“Soobin. Come,” the man orders. Soobin moves to step forward before I shove him back and lay a swift punch to the man's face. He stumbled back, holding onto his cheek. Soobin grabbed my arm and pulled me back. “I said he's not going anywhere, fuck nut,” I spit bitterly. The man cracks his knuckles and steps towards us. “MOVE,” he growled.
“I said no ,” I repeated.
“Liyana, please…” Soobin started.
“So it is true. You're on their side now. I didn't want to believe it but here we are,” the man interrupted. He raised his hand and swiftly knocked me to the ground. “Pathetic little man hiding behind a human woman like that,” he said, sniffing the air, “and a mated one at that. No doubt it belongs to that human lover Prince Namjoon.” He reached down and grabbed me by my neck. I struggled to breathe under his grip. My nails uselessly clawed at his gloved hand. I weakly cried out for Soobin to help…but he backed away. Through my tears I could see the fear and terror in his eyes as he watched and slowly backed away.
He turned on his heels to run but he wasn't fast enough. A bullet to his shoulder and a shock threw his body to the floor. The faint sounds of crashing and fighting filled my ears. “Still awake. Such a shame. I was hoping I'd be able to save such a pretty little face,” the man cooed, running his finger down my cheek. A single punch to my face and that was it. I was out cold…
( Liya. Liya! Liya, wake up! Wake up, Liya!)
Ugh…what? Where's Soobin? Where am I? I slowly opened my eyes and looked around. Fuzzy. I felt a cold cloth dabbing my forehead. “Hey. Hey, can you get up? Are you okay?” a deep voice asked. I turned my head to see Taehyung crouching next to me. “Liyaaa…can you hear me?” he asked, waving his hand in front of my eyes. I rolled my eyes closed and groaned.
“Hyung! She's awake!” Tae shouted. Seconds later, the sound of Namjoon's worried footsteps filled the room. He dropped to his knees and wrapped his arms around me. “Baby, you're okay! I'm so glad you're okay,” he cried.
“Hey, hey, hey. Don't shake her too much yet, hyung. She's still bleeding a little,” Taehyung protested. I looked up at Namjoon. He pulled me back and looked into my eyes. Tears wet his soft cheeks as he gazed over my brutalized face. I couldn't feel anything. Something wet fell over my eyes and clouded my view once again, only this time, it was red. Red and sticky. I tried to make a sound, a warning, but I couldn't. Nothing came out. I blacked out again in Namjoon's arms.
Hours later I awoke in a hospital room…or rather a room set up like a hospital. We're still in the cabin. “Good, you're awake now. Let's make sure you stay that way,” Jin said, adjusting the IV connected to my arm.
“What happened to me? Where am I?” I groaned.
“You're at home. Where I expect you to stay. You have severe head trauma and possibly a bruise or two we'll have to take care of. Nothing extra serious,” he said, putting on a pair of gloves. He grabbed a chair and sat down next to me. “You're one lucky rabbit, you know that?” he asked, shining a light in my eyes, “You've been burned, drowned, tossed around, punched, and asphyxiated twice and for some reason you're still alive and well after all of that.”
“Can't die before my wedding now, can I?” I chuckled.
“If you die, my brother will bury me next to you the same day,” he sighed. I looked back to see his face. He looked sullen and defeated. “Hey, it's okay. What's wrong? What's on your mind, big guy?” I asked. He sighed again and sat back in his chair. “Why don't you give up?” he asked.
“Excuse me?” I asked, confused as to what he could be talking about.
“Why don't you just… leave? ” he asked.
“What do you mean, Seokjin? I don't understand, or at least I don't think I do,” I asked.
“The day I had to announce that I was going to exile my own little brother was the hardest day of my life. I knew he had to go, I just didn't know how far. I didn't expect him to come all the way to the other side of the planet and start a whole new life on land. When I got word he'd started going to college in some random human city, I thought it was laughable but it turned out to be true. Taehyung was the first one to go looking for him. He was so mad at me for forcing Namjoon out. That's why I decided to book the first flight I could to America to come and set things right. But when he said he didn't want to see me, that he'd found someone else to love him, I knew he'd found a place where he was free from having to change for anyone and it hurt me so badly. I just wanted what was best for him and I gave up. I didn't even try to help him. I didn't try to bring him home. Even worse, I didn't try to protect him. I just don't understand how you do it. I don't understand why. What could possibly make such a feeble human want to stick so closely to a being that's brought her so much harm and trouble?” he asked.
“Seokjin. I would never in a million years give up on your brother. Nothing in this world could ever force me away from him. You did what you needed to do, Jin. You think you gave up on that boy but you didn't, not really. You sent him away for his own safety, something I'm sure not even people who claim to be the strongest people on earth would have been capable of doing. You protected him. What happened after that wasn't up to you but you tried to get your brother back. Look at you. You're here! You're in America! You're on land! You traveled thousands of miles just for your brothers because you missed them and you wanted them and you wanted to be a happy family with them again. I stuck around Namjoon for the same reason you followed him to the other side of the Earth: love. That's all. That's all I need. I love him and he love me. That's why I stay. That's why you stayed too,” I said, softly cupping his cheek.
“What did my brother do to deserve a girl like you?” he laughed as a tear rolled down his face.
“I ask myself that a lot too,” I laughed. We laughed and bonded over our love for Namjoon and Taehyung while I rested in bed from my injuries. Our conversation was suddenly interrupted by a knock on the door. “Can I come in now?” Namjoon asked tentatively.
“Only if you promise you won't cry,” I giggled.
“I can't make that promise when my beautiful princess is hurting,” he said, coming in. He grabbed a chair from the computer desk in the room and sat beside me. “Hi, baby,” I chimed, smiling, “You don't want to sit on the bed? It's more comfortable.”
“Ahem…uh, I think you better ask Dr. Kim if that's alright first,” he said, eyeing Seokjin. Jin nodded and got up to leave. “Wait, you're not going to stay a little longer?” I asked him.
“Nooo, no. I'm sure the two of you will be okay together as long as you keep it in your pants. Plus, I've got other things that need to get done,” he laughed.
“Oh, well, um…thank you for taking care of me and uh…I'm really, really glad we got to talk. Thank you, Seokjin,” I said. He smiled and nodded before leaving Namjoon and I alone to our vices. Namjoon looked at me and raised his eyebrow. “What on earth was that about?” he asked. I laughed. “If you really want to know, it was about you,” I said, pulling him onto the bed.
“Me? My fianceé and my brother talking behind my back? Great,” he laughed. I giggled and snuggled into his arm. But then…something bothered me. I paused. “Where's Soobin?” I asked. Namjoon stiffened. “Who?” he asked.
“Namjoon, don't play with me. Where is he? Do you know where he is?” I asked, yanking his arm. He sighed. “No. I don't. I was really hoping you wouldn't remember what happened,” he said.
“I saw someone I consider a friend get shot in the back right in front of me. No amount of head trauma is going to make me forget that,” I said.
“Mm. We're looking as hard as we can right now. There's almost no trace of whoever attacked us but I have a feeling that's exactly what he warned you about isn't it? He said they'd find him,” he said.
“I remember. I also remember that's not all he said. He said they'd kill him, meaning if we don't find him soon, we'll never see him again,” I said.
“And you'll never let me live that down, will you?” he asked. I leaned over and kissed his cheek. “Those are bad people, Namjoon. I can't hold something against you that's not your fault,” I assured him. I pulled his arm around my shoulder so I could lay on his chest. “It's been so long since you've laid on me like this,” he said.
“I miss you. So much. Even though you're here, it feels like we're so far apart now,” I said.
“I know what you mean. I feel it most in the nighttime even though that's when I'm closest to you. We just haven't had the time to just be us,” he said.
“What are we going to do? This whole situation is destroying our lives. I lost my job, I'm barely making it by in school, you can't even go outside without someone trying to kill you! Joon, we're a mess,” I groaned. He gently rubbed my shoulder. “I know that too. Believe it or not, I even miss your lunatic friends. Even Rena. But soon, our lives will be back to normal and we won't have to worry about any of this anymore,” he said.
“How do you know? How can you say that…for certain, how can you?” I asked.
“I can't. Not really. However, I can say for certain that nothing is going to stop me from trying to make it that way. Liyana, I've never had a normal life. From the moment I was born, my entire existence was set out before me. The day my mother died changed everything for me. I was criminalized, removed from the throne, and sent away by the one person I relied on the most. I spent years hiding and being chased around, always wondering if someone was going to kill me and who was going to try next. You're the most normal thing in my life, Princess. I miss just having you . I miss having you next to me all the time, hearing you laugh, seeing you smile and not having it ruined by someone trying to kill us. I just…I just miss everything,” he sighed.
“I know. I know, baby,” I whispered. Taehyung entered the room. “Um…I don’t mean to interrupt such a sweet moment between the lovely couple but you have a few guests demanding to see you right now,” he said nervously. Namjoon and I looked at each other with the exact same expression of confusion. Who the hell could be demanding to see us? Who else even knew we were here ? Namjoon sniffed the air and growled. “I’m going to the lake. Let me know when it leaves,” he said, scooting off of the bed.
“Woah, woah, woah! You’re leaving? Why? What’s wrong?” I asked. He huffed and opened the window in the back of the room. “Fish in the ocean have warmer blood than that girl,” he snarled. I watched him hop out of the window, close it behind him and wave before running off. This man. Taehyung shrugged. “Send them in, Tae,” I said, flipping off the window.
“Are you sure? I can ask them to come back when you’re feeling a little better,” he asked.
“It’s fine, Taehyung. Go ahead. I need the company right now,” I sighed. He nodded and mouthed “sorry” before leaving the room. I laid back and closed my eyes. I hear a few familiar voices down the hall. “In here,” Tae said. I heard a group of footsteps approaching the room. “Liyana?” a soft voice called.
“Kookie?” I asked, surprised. Jungkook’s sweet, big, round eyes peered around the corner. “JUNGKOOKIE!” I shouted, jumping out of bed. I immediately ran to him and threw my arms are his neck. “Liyana, you're safe!” he cheered, squeezing me tight. I rested in his arms and started to cry on his shoulder. “Soobin…” I whimpered.
“Shh, shh, shh. Taehyung already told me everything. Where's Namjoon-hyung?” he asked.
“He went out to the lake. Why?” I sniffled. Jungkook looked at the window. “Early departure, I see. I need to talk to him,” he said, letting me go.
“Wha-...why don't you stay and talk with me for a while? Just the two of us, huh? It's been a while, he won't mind, he can't wait,” I said, grasping his arm.
“ Actually …it can't…but hey! Rena’s sitting in the living room, why don't you go talk to her?” he asked awkwardly. I looked at his face and scrunched my nose. “Kookie, you got here. You're being weird. Why don't you want to talk to me?” I asked. He adjusted his hair and pulled me away from him. “Liya, I'm not being weird. Just let me speak to Namjoon,” he said firmly. I backed away, slowly creeping towards the window. “No,” I stated.
“No? What do you mean ‘no’? Just let me talk to him,” he said, stepping towards me. I backed away some more. “No! I mean no! This isn't…this isn't right!” I said. He stepped closer. I stepped back again until I was pressed firmly against the wall. My hand fumbled with the latch on the window. “What's not right? Liyana, are you okay?” he asked, cocking his head.
“No…I'm.. NO! No, I'm not alright! This isn't right! You should have never been taken from me! Everything was taken from me!” I screamed. He stepped closer and reached out to me. I panicked and grabbed the lamp from beside the bed, ready to swing if I needed to. He backed up and raised his hands. “Woah, Liya! Put that down! What's wrong with you?! What's going on?!” he asked.
“What's wrong? What's WRONG?! YOU'RE NOT EVEN REAL!” I screamed. Jungkook's eyes widened. “Not real? Liya, I think you're losing your mind,” he said.
“Jungkook doesn't talk like that,” I hissed. I ripped the lamp from the wall and swung as hard as I could but Jungkook dodged it just in time. “Why are you hurting me, Liyana?” he asked. A hand reached through the floor and grabbed my ankle. I pulled myself out and kicked the hand away. “Why are you hurting us, Liyana?” he asked again. Only this time…his lips didn't move. I fell back. Hands. Hands grabbed at me from all corners. Cold, hard hands. They grabbed me and pulled me to the floor. “Why, Liyana? Why are you hurting us?” he asked again.
“I don't know! I don't know! I don't know what's going on! Please! Please help me!” I cried.
“Why are you hurting us?” he asked.
“Jungkookie, I don't know! I don't know anything! I don't know what's going on! I-I don't know! Help me! Help me, please! Namjoon! Help me!” I pleaded. Tears streamed down my face as the desperate hands pulled me lower. Jungkook's face turned blank and abysmal. He fell to his knees and crawled towards me. I began to kick and scream, trying to get away. He climbed on top of me and whispered in my ear. But…it wasn't his voice. It was Namjoon’s. “Why, Princess? Why did you do that to me?” he asked. Hot tears ran down my cheeks and my breathing turned into a desperate gasping for air.
“I don't know? Do what? What did I do, Namjoon? What did I do to you, Namjoon?!” I screamed, crying harder.
“You abandoned me, Liyana. Why would you abandon me? Why wouldn't you listen to me?” Rena asked.
“I didn't! I didn't mean to I-...” I started.
“You betrayed us all,” said Taehyung.
“Tae, I didn't-...I-I mean, I couldn't! I-...” I stammered.
“This is all your fault,” said Jimin.
“Jimin, no! No! It's not! I didn't know! Please! You have to believe m-...” I shouted.
“You're a traitor. No good,” Jin said. I looked up to see Jin, Taehyung, and Namjoon standing above me like giant gods, peering disapprovingly down at me. Golden door opened behind them and a blindly bright light shined from inside. Seokjin and Taehyung turned and entered into the light. Namjoon glared down at me. “I thought you were fit to be my queen,” he said.
“Namjoon! I am! I am! I promise!” I screamed, reaching out for him. He shunned my grasping hands and followed his brothers into the light where the golden doors shut and locked tightly behind them. I screamed his name, screamed for him to come rescue to, to help, tell me this wasn't real, wasn't true. The room went black and suddenly a new face appeared. Yoongi. His face was welcoming. He opened his arms to me.
The cold hands released me. I climbed from the floor and ran towards him. But…I couldn't. I stopped as I watched his clothes begin to smother and burst into flames. His face melted into disappointment. I screamed his name to no avail. “ YOONGI! YOONGI! ” I pleaded. I watched him burn as I dropped to my knees and cried. “You left me,” he said. I stopped and looked at him. “I didn't mean to,” I said.
“You didn't even try,” he hissed at me.
“Yoongi… please …I didn't mean to …” I whimpered. His body collapsed to the floor in a ball of flames. I ran to him and cradle his corpse. I watched as his face began to morph. There in my lap…was Soobin. Bloody and in pain. His face bruised and crying. “You didn't help me. You just buried me faster,” he groaned before blacking out in my arms. I screamed at the top of my lungs. I shook him, trying to wake him up. Hoseok stepped in front of me. “You did this to them. You did this to all of us. You're a bad person, Liyana,” he said. He sank into the darkness, leaving me alone and scared on the floor.
“No. NO! PLEASE! DON'T LEAVE ME! DON'T LEAVE ME HERE! NAMJOON! HOBI! JUNGKOOK! PLEASE HELP ME! HELP ME! ” I screamed. But no one was listening. No one was there. Only me. And I was nobody.
A violent rub on my shoulder awoke me from my nightmare. “LIYA! LIYA! ARE YOU OKAY?!” Namjoon shouted. I blinked and looked around. I looked at Namjoon's face. He was crying. Badly. “What?! What's going on?!” I asked frantically. I felt the drying tears on my face.
“You were having a nightmare, baby. I couldn't wake you up. First you were just mumbling and talking in your sleep and then you started screaming and kicking and crying and I couldn't wake you up and I was so scared something was wrong. I didn't know what to do! You were trembling so much and you sounded like you were in so much pain but nothing I did could wake you up!” he said, pulling me into his arms. I wrapped my arms around him and started to cry. “Joonie…I don't want to be here anymore! I want to go home! I can't do this anymore!” I cried.
He gently shushed me and rubbed my back. “We can do that. We can. I'll do that for you. Just for you, Princess,” he assured me. He laid me down and cradled me in his arms as I cried. He didn't dare to ask me what I was dreaming about. That's because I have a feeling he already knows. He tenderly rubbed my shoulder and rocked me until I could calm down.
I sniffled and looked up at him. He was holding in tears as he tried to comfort me. I buried my face into his chest. “I’m sorry. It's okay to cry, Nammy. We all need to do it sometimes,” I whispered. And that's when the floodgates opened. We laid in bed, holding each other, and crying together. A knock on the door.
“Soobin is gone.”