Chapter Text
It’s early this year.
Taehyung stands still, holding his palm out while he looks up at a sky full of white. Snow is collecting in his eyelashes and bites at his cheeks but he continues to gaze at the seemingly peaceful scene.
That is until someone slams into his shoulder from behind, barely giving him a glance as they run off.
He massages his shoulder while looking at the back of the stranger who is weaving his way through the crowd. Their beanie flies off, revealing silver-colored hair and the stranger's head turns for a second before deciding to abandon the garment and disappears.
The beanie drifts through the air before it lands on Taehyung's chest. He grabs it and shouts, "Hey, wait!“
But the stranger's already gone.
He sighs, he should get going though. Shaking off the snowflakes, he stuffs his gloveless hands back into the pockets of his long coat and walks forward once more. His chestnut hair becomes drizzled with snow while cool air whips against his face, giving him rosy cheeks and a slightly red nose. He navigates his way through clusters of people until a hospital comes into view and walks toward it.
Glass doors slide open for him as he enters and he’s immediately comforted by the warm air. He rubs his hands together as he heads to the locker room, putting on light blue scrubs. Once finished, he checks in his arrival and enters a white hallway connected to doubled doors, they open up for him when he slides his ID card.
His coworkers smile or say, "good morning" as he passes by. He goes through an opened doorway with the number 22 above it, on the side, a patient’s name neatly printed on a card encased by plastic.
In the center of the room lays a girl in bed, playing with a teddy bear by its arms. She has a breathing tube under her nose and an IV drip in her arm, surrounded by various machines. When Taehyung enters, she looks up and smiles. He smiles just as brightly back.
"Good morning, Ae-ra." He says, walking toward her. He picks up the clipboard in front of her bed, "How are you today?"
He flips through papers as her high pitched voice answers, "I feel better today!"
She lifts the teddy bear up toward him as she continues, "You were right! Teddy kept the monsters away."
He quietly chuckles and pats her head before checking her temperature and making sure the machines are working properly. While he's doing that, they talk about a dream she had last night; she describes "peaches and cream and chocolate wings too!" decorating the dinner table in her castle surrounded by a forest filled with fairies. Taehyung’s telling her he thinks her castle sounds amazing when shoes click against the tile, and he looks up at the new arrival.
"Ah, good morning Doctor." Taehyung greets.
The doctor gives him a "hello" in return before stating, "Ae-ra needs to be prepped for surgery soon."
Taehyung nods and turns back to Ae-ra, who now has a slightly dimmer expression. He crouches next to her and covers one her hands, she looks up with shimmering eyes.
"It's going to be okay." He gently tells her, "You have Teddy to keep you safe." pointing at the cotton-stuffed toy in her arms.
Ae-ra sniffs before nodding and squeezes it against her chest.
"Are you going to be here after?" She softly asks into the bear, light brown curls falling onto its head.
"Of course silly." He pats her head. “I’m always here.”
He presents her another small smile that she returns before standing up. After exchanging formalities with the doctor, he exits the room and makes his way to another to greet his other patient.
When it's 6 pm, Taehyung checks out, Ae-ra asleep in bed since her surgery. He’s about to leave when he's stopped by a few of his coworkers, who invite him out for drinks.
"Maybe next time!" He shouts as he waves, walking away.
ヽ( ´¬`)ノ
December's barely begun when Taehyung signs up for a whole week of night shifts, again. His co-workers curiously question him, but he only gave them smiles and replied, "So more of you can spend time with your families for the holidays." His co-workers shook their heads in a ‘not-again' matter but they knew nothing they said could dissuade him. After another day filled with accidents and surgeries, they eventually said their good nights as other nurses arrived to take their place.
~
On the 21st, Taehyung enters the hospital at 11 pm for his first night shift. The night goes by quietly and he leaves around 4 am for his break. On his way to a convenience store, he hears something resembling a groan. He stops and his eyes scan the streets, but they’re void of people.
Maybe I imagined it.
He takes another step before he hears it again, louder this time, and turns to look into a looming alley beside him.
A single street light flickers at the sidewalk, casting the alley in shadows for the most part. As his eyes begin to adjust, he begins to recognize individual objects. There are a few dumpsters, all of them covered in various symbols and letters. Beaten couches and splintered chairs lay upturned or against brick walls, while stray cats lounge around as well, and a metal fence encloses it all.
There’s nothing unusual about the scene until a clang sounds, causing a few cats to scurry away. His eyes dart around until they land on a white-knuckled hand gripping onto the open edge of one of the dumpsters. Wheels screech against the concrete, almost sounding like nails on a chalkboard. Taehyung winces at the noise but tries to get a better look.
After a few more seconds of that painful screech, a head slowly appears above the dumpster followed by the top half of their body. The stranger, a male he realizes, wears a tattered long-sleeve shirt. As he slowly approaches, he sees their other hand wraps around to hold their waist, dark liquid flowing through their fingers. The stranger slumps against the wall with their head tilted upwards, mouth open and gasping, releasing white puffs of air. It’s sounds pained. Taehyung quickly takes another step forward with his hand reaching toward them, “Hey are you-”, glass crunches under his shoe.
The person whips their head around at the sound, emitting a deep groan. He’s met with a piercing glare and scowl, and notices the varying shades of dark reds and violets bloom across the man’s skin. Taehyung gulps, words now stuck in his throat and arm hanging awkwardly.
He opens his mouth again, but a metal chain catches his eye, and he closes it. The stranger then looks away to let out a hacking cough, causing the chain to fully slip out of his shirt.
At that moment, the street light blinks a fews times before casting a musty yellow glow upon the alley.
It's only a split second that Taehyung's eyes trace the emblem’s design and his outreached hand plummets. His eyes widen as buildings and the distant sounds of cars phase out around him, becoming dull background noise. His legs suddenly feel like jello.
Moments later, he faintly registers a stinging pain in his hands and knees, and he’s looking at his reflection in shards of glass. His mouth hangs open trying to suck in air.
How did one breath again?
A cat darts from a trash can and Taehyung lifts his head. He meets dark orbs that look endless, the mouth that comes with it is moving. There's blood in his teeth too. Taehyung tilts his head. What's he saying? The stranger lets out a strangled noise, probably from swallowing his blood. His head jerks forward and he can hear the cling of metal. Oh right, the necklace.
In the next instant, he’s bringing a knee forward and pushing off his palms and feet to get the fuck out of there. His legs soon ache and his lungs burn with cold air but he doesn't stop until he recognizes a lofty building with a red cross.
When he arrives, his feet trip over one another and lands on the sidewalk, his arms barely breaking the fall in time. Instead of getting up, he curls into a fetal position, arms wrapping around his head. Soon enough, his vision is blurred and tears burn across his face.
Why are they here? They’re supposed to be gone.
He can visualize the emblem perfectly; he sees the intricate cut of a pink shiny metal that formed the outlines of a blooming lotus--exactly the same from four years ago. Trembling, he lets out a sob and presses his face into his hands. A metallic smell enters his nose and he feels the liquid on his face.
They're supposed to be rotting behind bars.
The police had told him so. Had they fucking lied to him?
His phone vibrates in his pocket, it’s one of his co-workers. Fuck, he has to get back to work. Taking deep breaths, he brings himself to stand on shaky legs and makes his way over to the entrance. He makes sure to wash the blood off his face and hands before returning to his department. His co-workers shoot him wary stares and concerned looks as he enters, but he dismisses it with a smile that doesn’t reach his eyes.
Over the next couple of hours, he’s dropped countless trays of medicine and supplies and has been caught, more than once, staring out the window for too long.
He’s looking outside again, eyes overlooking the streets as the sun begins to cast small shadows. A hand comes to rest on his shoulder. He freezes for half a second, before pivoting on his heel and bringing his other foot to land behind him. He hooks his arm under the unknown figure’s and twists it harshly, causing the other person to cry out before he takes in the blue scrubs and neatly styled hair. Fuck.
“Oh my god,” Taehyung gasps, letting go of the other’s arm. “I’m so sorry!”
His co-worker, Minjae, cradles his arm, eyes cast downward and rubbing at a spot. The corner of his mouth turns up as he sighs. He looks up to see glossy eyes and teeth biting the lower lip.
“Don’t worry about it.” He says with a smile.
Taehyung shakes his head quickly, “No, I-”
“It’s okay,” He says, “I’m fine.” He wiggles his arm around in front of Taehyung’s face. “See? Everything’s perfectly okay.”
Taehyung mumbles, “Sorry again…”
“Apology accepted,” He replies, “Are you alright, though? You seem kind of out of it since you got back.” Minjae’s head is tilted up at him, concern written all over his face.
Blood spattered across walls and a pink necklace flash across his eyes. “I-I’m fine.” He chokes, eyes focused at the tiles below.
Minjae raises an eyebrow. “Hm, no, you’re obviously not.” He crosses his arms, “Why don’t you go home early today?”
Taehyung looks back up, wide-eyed. “I can’t do that.”
“Of course you can. You’re worried about something, I’m sure everyone will understand.”
“But-”
Minjae slaps his back and pushes him in the direction of the changing room. “Look, you go home and rest up. You can’t take care of anyone while you’re like this. I’ll let our supervisor know.”
Defeated, and ultimately drained from earlier, Taehyung nods and slowly drags his feet away from his co-worker. “Thanks.” He says.
“No problem! See you tomorrow!” Minjae waves.
While he’s walking back to his apartment, it begins to pour. His clothes become soaked and he pauses in the middle of an empty road. He tilts his head up, letting raindrops splash against his closed eyelids. A truck comes into view and skids to a stop, honking his horn.
“Get the fuck outta the way, you idiot!”
Taehyung cocks his head to the side to see the driver waiting, one arm hanging outside his window with his fingers tapping impatiently. He squints at the light beams. The driver honks again, mumbling something under his breath. When he doesn’t move, the driver steps on the gas and swerves the truck around him.
He closes his eyes again and lets the rain consume him.
So much for a new start.