Earphones• Vkook

17

Trigger warning: Panic Attack (towards end/mid chapter)

It's the middle of the night everything is off and too dark to walk without falling over something.

"So if Taehyung lost his hearing from being slapped, if I slap him again will he get his hearing back?"

"Mark go back to sleep you're annoying" Hoseok whispers as he gently moves his foot to hit Mark's shoulder.

"At least you get to sleep on the couch" Mark pouts before shutting up

"Plus I mean he didn't say it was because he was slapped, they still don't know how he became deaf" Ricky says

"Ricky you are awake? Wheres my boy Jungkook?" Mark asks and Hoseok extends his foot and puts it over Mark's nose.

"Hoseok!" Mark says as he quickly gets up pushing Hoseok's foot away

"No really wheres Jungkook?" He asks as he squints in the dark looking around the room.

"He probably went to check on Taehyung", Hoseok says in a quiet voice as he goes back into a comfortable sleeping position.

"What?" Mark asks and Hoseok just tells him to go back to sleep.

An hour before at three in the morning Jungkook was awoken by soft foot steps, Jungkook can be a light sleeper some days so any slight sound can wake him.

"Sorry" Taehyung said almost inaudible as he noticed someone shift in the dark. Taehyung woke up in the dark messy room that belonged to Jeon Jungkook. He got scared at first until he remembered he was in Jungkook's place, he couldn't see much in the dark but he knew one thing, he was hungry. The kitchen was basically near the sleeping kids so he had to pass them. Not knowing how much noise he was making he tried to walk slowly which just ended up sounding loud to Jungkook.

Jungkook looked at him and got up with his phone in hand he turned on the flashlight and put it on one hand as he spelt out 'hungry?' with the other. Taehyung nodded and sat at the kitchen counter in the dark as Jungkook laid his phone down, light up on it and got out random stuff from his cabinets, he took out bread, turkey, chips, two bottles of soda. He took out two plates and made them sandwiches. in the dark phone lit room they sat side by side eating in silence.

"Did they say anything stupid about me right? Tap my shoulder once for yes, two for no" Taehyung said a bit too loud but no one seemed to wake up. Jungkook taped his shoulder once then paused and waited before he taped it a second time. Causing Taehyung to angrily push his shoulder, "Don't play with me" Jungkook tries hiding his laugh in his hand as he saw how offended Taehyung looked.

"Soda at two in the morning you're crazy" Taehyung mumbles under his breath before gulping down the soft drink.

Now at four in the morning everyone is awake, Hoseok telling Mark to sleep, Ricky already back to sleep. Jungkook and Taehyung are in Jungkook's bed room talking.

"Are you sure they didn't say something funny about me?"

"Positive don't worry about it"

"sorry I took over your bed and you had to sleep out there" Taehyung says

"don't be I like sleeping on the floor, its nice"

"don't lie Jungkook" Taehyung rolls his eyes.

"So when did you learn some sign language?" Taehyung asks and Jungkook contemplates what he should say.

"I just started" he admits.

"Can you repeat that" Taehyung asks not quite reading the words on jungkook's lips.

"Recently" is all he says making the sentence smaller and hoping to dismiss the subject

"Why?" Taehyung asks, Jungkook sighs he cant lie. He cant make anything up.

"For-" his phone rings loudly cutting him off from his almost confession, Namjoon's name pops up on the screen and he answers it. It's too early this could be important, Jungkook thinks to himself.

"Hey" He says

"Dude, Yoongi, he's a mess I need help! Jungkook help!" Namjoon says frantically

"Where is he? Whats wrong?" Jungkook asks getting up from his bed, He grabs his jacket thats hung up on his door nob. Putting it on with his phone pressed between his shoulder and ear. Once his left arm is in he grabs his phone and holds it to his ear with his left hand as he puts in his right arm into the jacket.

" He-Hes" Namjoon starts crying

"Whats going on Namjoon?! You need to tell me whats going on!" He says his voice stern, raised a little but not enough to wake anyone up.

"I'm sorry Taehyung, I have to go" Jungkook says, Taehyung looks at him with worry.

Jungkook is about to leave his room when he feels a grip around his wrist.

"Let...Me..Go... With you" Taehyung says slowly unsure of how loud his voice is, worried he sounds weird and too loud.

"I want to help" He adds with more confidence. Jungkook looks back to him.

"You should be here when they wake up" Jungkook says and he walks out and makes his way out the door.

"Where are you going?" Mark asks being the only one still awake but Jungkook is already out the door.

"Don't worry, We will be back. Don't ruin his place" Taehyung says half jokingly before rushing out to meet up with Jungkook without giving Mark any chance to respond.

Taehyung runs to catch up with Jungkook.

Jungkook runs down the stairs not realizing Taehyung is following him closely behind.

"Namjoon where the hell are you?" Jungkook says angrily as he exits the apartment complex.

"We are at the usual place"

The park around the corner from the convenience store we always go to, Jungkook thinks.

"Sit him up, Namjoon make sure he's up straight, okay" Jungkook says desperately into the phone. "This will pass, tell him it will pass, Namjoon tell him these f*****g words why aren't you repeating this" Jungkook almost never swears it is very rare.

"Tell him he will be okay Namjoon, Tell him he will be okay" Jungkook runs and Taehyung gives up on catching up, he slows down falling more and more behind from Jungkook who is running as fast as he can.

"You'll be okay" Namjoon says in a shaky voice. "You sound scared and unsure, Namjoon stop, just try staying calm" He says almost out of breath, he shouldn't be judging when him himself isn't calm. He knows whats happening to Yoongi, this isn't the first time, but Namjoon never noticed or saw this side of Yoongi before.

Taehyung notices Jungkook slowing down and he takes it as his chance to catch up.

Jungkook runs over to Yoongi who has his back up against the plastic yellow slide.

"We were just walking and he started" Namjoon says and Jungkook crouches down to be at level with his friend.

"He's having a panic attack" Jungkook states not taking his eyes off of his friend who is hyperventilating.

"Yoongi you are going to be okay, okay believe me you always are" Jungkook says in the calmest voice he can.

"This will pass" He says over and over again. Sweat goes down Yoongi's forehead. Despite the cold around him all he feels is heat and the sweat drips down his face.

Taehyung watches closely but out of distance from everyone. Taehyung doesn't know what to do or if there is anything he should do.

"Breathe, I need you to try breathing, take small breathes, relax, this is just a panic attack, nothing is happening, you aren't dying, relax, think of the wind" Jungkook says softly, Yoongi terrified. He tries taking small breaths and after about twenty minutes his breathing is back to normal, the sweating stops and the attack is over.

Yoongi, the most care free person, the one person who rarely cries in front of others breaks down in tears, Jungkook gives him a hug.

"It's over" Jungkook says slowly and tears start going down both of their faces.

Taehyung starts turning away but something stops him. He feels bad for seeing Yoongi's lowest point but he cant just walk away. He turns back and he walks over to where Namjoon is standing.

"I don't know much of what just happened, but I hope he's okay" He says and Namjoon looks at him.

Jungkook helps Yoongi on his feet and he sees Taehyung. The only light around them are two flickering lamp posts on the side of the buildings near by and the faint light from the convenience store that is brightly shining from around the corner.

"I'm sorry" Taehyung secretly signs to Jungkook. Jungkook nods his head in response and gives him a slight smile.

"We should take him home" Jungkook says tilting his head over to face Yoongi, He puts his arm over his shoulders and all four of them side by side walk to Yoongi's house in the middle of a dark night.

Yoongi's leather jacket all wet from the tears he couldn't stop, he's all shaken up and all he wants to do is sleep. If a stranger would see him like this they'd be mistaken, they'd see how he looked, what he was wearing and his red eyes all the wrong way. But his friends, the ones who knew what he was going through, even Namjoon who was oblivious who would never judge him especially before even knowing what happened.

"Thank you" He mumbles before lowering his head and waving goodbye as he went into his small house.

"I didn't know" Namjoon says apologetically as they walk away

"It's okay, it can be scary, obviously more for him"

"Why didn't anyone ever tell me?" Namjoon asks

"Its not something to talk about, you've never seen him in those ways, its not something he wants to share"

"But we are best friends" Namjoon says

"it wasn't a secret Joon, it's something unexpected, something that happens to him random times, random moments, completely unexpected. I only knew about it because I was with him the second time he'd ever had one, he was scared. If I didn't see him that day, I don't think he would've ever told me either" Jungkook admits.

They walk into the convenience store and Namjoon picks out strawberry milk to drink, he buys it and they all sit outside at one of the tables, the cold wind passes by.

"So Taehyung, how are you?" Namjoon asks as he holds the pink square box of milk.

"I'm okay" Taehyung says softly not wanting to say too much.

"What you did, for Yoongi, I don't know much of what was happening, but you calming him down, it was very nice" Taehyung says looking at Jungkook.

But didn't Jungkook just explain it was a panic attack? Namjoon thinks to himself, confused on why Taehyung still doesn't know whats going on.