Work Text:
The world was ending.
No, I'm not being dramatic over some minor inconvenience, the world was actually ending.
This wasn't surprising to me. Not in the last. I had seen the signs coming.
The unbearable heat, multiple fires accruing and spreading across the world, and earthquakes that would start seemingly out of nowhere. Buildings collapsing, people dying.
No.
This was no surprise to me at all.
And all of this had been viewed from the comfort of my couch. The screen of my phone or my TV showing me, telling me everything I needed to know. I didn't even have to look at my phone or my TV to see all of this. All I had to do was look out of my window.
A small window that was made even smaller due to collapsing rubble that prevented my escape.
I originally wanted to run like everyone else but once I was trapped, I was quick to accept that I may die today. And so, here I sat on my comfortable couch, watching.
I watched people scramble around desperately, like an ant colony that you've started to step on.
I watched them try to figure out some sort of solution, someplace to hide or a way to escape.
Fools.
All of them.
Myself included.
Haven't they already figured out that we cannot escape the only planet we live on?
Breathing deeply, I held my breath for a second before letting it all out and taking a sip of my coffee.
The smell of ash and smoke fill my lungs but as someone who used to smoke, it did little to bother me. The burning sensation was a welcome feeling at this point in time.
Told me that I was still alive. That despite everything, I was still here.
I pull at the collar of my pajama shirt.
The heat was starting to get a little unbearable.
I swipe my arm over my forehead and flick away my sweat with a frown.
I grumble incoherently to myself.
I would've preferred if the world froze over.
I hate feeling this hot and not being able to do anything about it.
Tightening my grip on my phone I check the time before setting down my cup of coffee and turning my left writ toward myself.
Etched into my skin since birth was a timer.
Everyone was born with one.
Counting down since the second I was born, maybe even before then.
00:01:00
00:00:59
00:00:58
00:00:57
Before today, I was certain that the countdown meant that I would be meeting my soulmate once it hit zero. I wasn't so sure about that now.
Maybe it was counting down to my death, or maybe it was counting down to when the world will finally come to its end.
00:00:26
00:00:25
00:00:24
00:00:23
00:00:22
I grit my teeth down at the time, sweat dripping down the side of my face.
The seconds seemed to be going slower and slower.
I breathe in... and out.
I take a sip of coffee.
The ground shakes, knocking framed pictures off of my walls, the glass shattering on impact.
I take another sip of coffee. I grimace.
Should've added more sugar.
Someone screams that this was God's retribution, that He was finally punishing us for the sins we've committed.
I roll my eyes.
00:00:05
00:00:04
00:00:03
00:00:02
00:00:01
00:00:00
Everything settles for a moment.
But only for a moment.
I nearly jump out of my skin when my phone starts ringing.
I answer instantly.
"Hyung! You finally answered!" A voice frantically shouts into my ear.
Wincing, I pull the phone away from my ear before hesitantly returning it to my ear.
"Oh thank god, is he okay? Please tell me he's okay." A voice says in the background.
My nose tingles and I feel tears spring to my eyes.
I'd know this voice from anywhere.
I say nothing for a moment and only breathe in an attempt to pull myself together so that my voice doesn't crack when I talk.
"I- I'm sorry, you've got the wrong number." Damn it. My voice cracked.
"Wrong number?" I hear the phone rustle, a gasp, muttering from someone (multiple someones? I couldn't exactly tell) in the background.
"Your timer." Someone finally points out and then my soulmate returns to the phone.
"So... So you're my soulmate." They say, almost too quietly.
I nod my head, forgetting that they couldn't see me.
"Yes." We don't speak for a moment and I hear someone yelling in the background.
"You finally answered! Where the hell are you, you scared the shit out of us! Tapped? Where? ... OK.. Yeah just hang in there, we'll be there in a second...... Jungkook? Yeah, he's here.... His timer reached zero..... They're talking right now..." And then the voice, Yoongi's, followed by a stampede of footsteps, recede until I can no longer hear them.
"Not the best day for a phone call, huh?" I joke lightly, my chest tightening.
I grip the handle of my coffee cup.
"Are you safe?" Jungkook asks and I look around myself.
My house was absolutely destroyed.
Everything was broken or breaking.
My house was currently being fed to a fire and I was about to be this fire's snack on the side.
I softly growl when I feel myself get even hotter than before and scooch closer to my window in hopes to feel the little air drafting through.
Realizing that I was quiet for longer than I would've liked, I answer him.
I swallow the lump in my throat.
"No-" I clear my throat. "No."
The second I finish talking, I hear movement. Rustling and a door creaking open before slamming closed.
"Jungkook? Where are you going?" I ask, worried.
Please don't tell me he's doing what I think he's doing.
"Where are you?" He sounds breathless. I can hear his footsteps echoing.
He's doing exactly what I think he's doing.
"Jungkook you can't. Please, please, you can't." I beg him over the phone but I don't hear him stop.
"Where are you?"
I shudder a breath and my lips shake almost uncontrollably.
I softly udder my address to him, silently hoping that he didn't hear me but all of a sudden, Jungkook has super hearing so he hears me loud and clear.
I hear a car start.
Please be safe. Please be safe.
A tear falls and I wipe it away aggressively. I listen to the engine of his car as he speeds down the roads. It isn't long when I hear his tires screeching as they turn onto my road.
Jungkook's car stops in front of my house and I hear his door open.
"Noona?" He sounds incredibly worried.
I scramble up from the couch, knocking my coffee over in the process, and head over to the window.
I shove my face against the small opening and watch Jungkook run over to me.
I stare into his brown eyes. Despite the situation, they were comforting.
His face was as beautiful as ever, even covered in soot and dust.
It's irrational but I can't help but feel a little self-conscious about the way I'm looking right now.
"Do you have another way out?" He questions and I instantly shake my head.
"No, and even if I did, the fire is everywhere, I wouldn't be able to get past it," I explain quickly.
Jungkook grabs at the debris and starts pulling. Seeing him try so hard to save me, I can't just stand here and do nothing.
I bring my hands and start to push.
Halfway through this, the wind decided to change directions.
I yelp, feeling the heat at my back.
Turning my head, I see that the fire had gotten larger and with all the new fuel it was gaining, it was starting to burn faster.
I begin to push desperately at the thought.
Something about my soulmate being right in front of me made me want to fight the hardest that I possibly could.
I push, he pulls, the fire tastes the back of my legs, and I yelp.
We work faster.
At one point my hand slips and cuts itself on a jagged piece of metal but I grit my teeth and ignore it.
A sob of relief tears its way through my throat and out of my mouth when we finally created a hole large enough for me to climb through.
Jungkook grabs at me and I let him drag me through.
The second I'm out, Jungkook yanks me away from the house and closer to his car.
He holds me in his arms tightly and my legs ache.
They still burn.
Looking down, I see that the back of my legs were an angry red and it was already bubbling in some spots.
I bury my head into his chest.
We stand there for a moment, just holding each other when I hear something crack.
Looking up, I watch as my house collapses and sends sparks into the air.
"Let's go." I say and Jungkook lets me into the car.
I sit down carefully, not letting my calves graze any part of the car in fear of irritating the burn.
Halfway back to wherever Jungkook was before coming to save me, his phone starts to ring. He answers hastily and even put it on speaker so that I could listen in on the conversation.
"Where the hell are you! First Namjoon and now you! He's fine by the way."
"I went to save my soulmate, they were trapped in their burning house. We're on our way back now." Jungkook grabs my hand and runs his thumb over my knuckles.
"Alright but be quick, if we're all gonna die, I'd rather die together." I smile at that.
"Okay. I'll see you guys soon."
The phone call drops and Jungkook speeds up.
When we get there, we take the stairs. Going lower and lower underground.
Jungkook carries me on his back, ignoring my protests so I drop it not too long after.
When we get to our destination, I can see many staff members rushing around everywhere, trying to do everything at once.
Like before, I think it's a little stupid.
As much as the thought pains me, nobody is going to survive this.
The rest of BTS were currently on the couch but it didn't look like they wanted to just sit around at the moment. Jungkook sets me on the couch, being mindful of my legs before taking a seat beside me.
"I'm scared." I admit quietly and Jungkook grabs hold of my hand.
After a while, the staff had finally stopped running around and my heart beat loudly in my chest.
There's a loud explosion outside and the building shakes.
I tighten my hold on Jungkook's hand.
His hand is warm.
Not grossly warm, but comforting.
Namjoon stands up and motions for us to follow.
I watch as they all hug each other.
The interaction was silent but at this moment, I felt that words were not needed.
Jungkook pulls me into their group hug and I hold back a cry of pain when my leg brushes against someone's pants.
The power goes out and I feel someone trembling under my arms. I say nothing but tighten my hold.
There's an explosion, a louder one this time and we fall to the ground when the ground shakes harshly.
I duck my head into Jungkook's chest. The building cracks but we don't let go of each other.
We hold on as everything starts to fall apart, as things fell on top of us and we hold onto each other when finally, we get crushed.