Work Text:
The sky was cloudy, lit up with purples, pinks, and oranges. It should have been beautiful, something to take a picture to remember. It wasn’t.
The roads and sidewalks were full of people, watching the sky as chunks of rock fell to the earth. Namjoon was one of them.
Eventually, he chose to look in front of him instead, the crowds of men, women, and children with their faces turned upwards. The street jammed so full of cars it was almost impossible to walk between them. The sound of the emergency alert on the radio poured out of every car window and open door. Emergency sirens blared in the distance. Smoke was beginning to rise high enough it could be seen over the tops of other buildings.
Namjoon closed his eyes, listening. Feeling. The electricity in the air made the hairs on his body stand on end. His eyes snapped open. He turned and ran back through the glass doors of the office building. He passed by staff members and staring out the lobby windows, talking to loved ones on the phone, or simply crying.
He refused to stop.
He skipped the elevators entirely, bursting into the stairwell and taking the stairs two at a time. He reached the correct landing and made his way down the hall in a dead sprint. The door was finally in view, and his footsteps slowed as he approached. Namjoon reached for the handle and opened the door, stepping inside without hesitation.
Sitting in a circle in the middle of the practice room floor were six others. A radio sat in the center, their eyes either on it or on the ground. Hearing him step inside the boys lifted their heads and met Namjoon’s gaze. He nodded.
Namjoon pushed the door closed and locked it, something he didn’t normally do. No one else needed to join them. They wanted to do this alone.
He walked towards the others. No words were said. None were needed. Namjoon reached out his hand. Yoongi took it. Hoseok grabbed Yoongi’s, and Taehyung his, then Jimin, and Jungkook. Their youngest. Finally Seokjin stepped forward to stand between Namjoon and Jungkook and grabbed their hands, completing the circle at last.
Here they were. Best friends. Family. Brothers. Together through trainee days and debut, through pain and tears, trials and suffering, celebration and success. They’d spent the best years of their lives together, travelling the world and doing what they loved. They’d made so many memories together, seen the smiles on thousands of faces around the world. Together they had watched their desert become a sea.
The emergency alert message on the radio stopped. It was replaced by a siren, identical to the one Namjoon heard blaring outside. Maybe it was.
They moved closer, heads together, hands clasped. Someone whispered a tear-filled “I love you”. Six others followed.
Together to the end, just like they promised.
Namjoon sniffed, opening his eyes and glancing around at the others. Their eyes were still shut tight, tears flowing down well-worn tracks on their cheeks. Namjoon tried to speak. There was a lump in his throat, and he attempted to clear it. The others’ eyes snapped open at the sound. They looked towards him, he met each of their eyes in return. He stretched his arms out, still holding onto Yoongi and Seokjin. Smiled, somewhat bittersweet, somewhat comforting.
3.
“Bang, Bangtan.”
2.
Arms shot out, clasped hands now touching, heads still together. A tearful chorus.
“Bang, Bangtan.”
1.