Tremble

10 ; "tremble"

He runs past block after block of houses, their blinds drawn and occupants quiet. There’s not a star in sight and the only light guiding him comes from the flickering of the broken street lamps. Eventually, he runs out of breath, panting and slowing down in the middle of some abandoned alleyway and slumping against the brick wall. With bloodied hands, he dials the first number in his contact list and fights to keep the tremor out of his voice. 

“Hyung,”

Taehyung hates how his voice breaks off, swallowing the end of the word in the tears that threaten to spill. 

“Tae?”

Namjoon’s voice is still groggy with sleep, his eye flickering to his digital alarm clock - 12:01

“I want-,” the words break, reconnect at a whisper, “to see you, hyung.”

Namjoon is already tugging on a hoodie and jeans, rummaging through his closet for a coat, scarf and blanket.

“Where are you, Tae?”

Taehyung darts his eyes around the alley, catching sight of a broken street sign and rattling off the name into the phone. 

“I’ll be there in fifteen.” Is all the 94-liner says before the line goes dead.

Taehyung tries to calm the shaking of his hands, wraps his arms around himself and digs blunt fingernails into his sides, as though by physically holding himself he’ll somehow be able to hold the tears in as well. 

He breathes in, breathes out, curls in upon himself and waits for Namjoon to arrive, tries like hell not to think about everything he’s done tonight.

Namjoon is there in ten, taking one look at Taehyung’s blood-stained shirt and grabbing two water bottles for the back of his car. He unscrews one and hands in to Taehyung, who grips the plastic with a too-tight hold and raises it to his lips, bruised from his teeth digging painfully into the skin. With the other, he holds Taehyung’s other hand in his own and carefully tips the water, blood mixing pink and washing off. 

Namjoon waits until all traces of red have been taken care of before gathering Taehyung’s trembling form in his arms and carrying the boy bridal-style back to his car. After buckling  Taehyung into the front seat, Namjoon takes the wheel and ignites the engine, turning the heater up then taking one of Taehyung’s hands in his and gripping tightly. 

He drives them both up to an abandoned dock, one that they’ve visited before once or twice, and kills the engine, wrapping Taehyung up in the scarf and coat and tucking the blanket under the crook of his elbow. 

They sit overlooking the water, and Namjoon holds Taehyung even as the younger’s body shakes like a leaf, desperate, choked sobs wracking their way through as he clutches and claws at Namjoon’s back and buries his head in the fabric of the older’s shirt. 

They stay like that, huddled under the blanket, under the starless sky as Namjoon traces meaningless patterns up and down Taehyung’s arms, holding the boy until his sobs and shakes become small trembles and broken whimpers, and then until his whimpers quiet down and he falls into a dreamless sleep, Namjoon following him not long after.

10th entry!!! #30daydrablechallenge