The rain has not shown sign of ceasing anytime soon since it started around 2am in early hours of the morning. It's a really great time to snuggle in the comfort of your bed at a time like that, the best time to sleep most people would agree. Seokjin disagrees.

5am, still too early. Seokjin got up and walked out of his bedroom, leaving Namjoon still asleep on his extra mattress in the bedroom. Seokjin almost jumped when he sees Yoongi alone on the couch watching the early morning news on TV without turning on the volume. Weird. Perhaps Yoongi just needed a little company of the TV.

"A storm huh?" Seokjin reading the running captions at the bottom of the screen where the news anchor was announcing some other political news. It seems a Typhoon initially thought to spare the peninsula of Korea apparently changed its mind. Seokjin seldom watches or reads the news these days, nothing good comes from the news anyway, it's just a constant reminder to the public how ty our society is in every aspect possible.

"Yeah." Yoongi gave a quick glance over his shoulders to Seokjin that is standing beside the couch, both staring at the TV screen.

"Can't sleep?" Seokjin asked.

"Mm. You too?"

"Yeah." Seokjin replied and grin while headed to the kitchen. "Coffee?"

"Sure. Thanks." 

The rain got heavier by the minute, the sound of roaring thunder and lightning filled the city sky. Both Seokjin and Yoongi flinched a little when a flash of lightning like camera flash coupled with a loud bang was heard. Seokjin could feel the ground shaking a little, though he is doubtful whether if it was just his imagination. The thunder continued angrily and then both Seokjin and Yoongi rose from the couch simultaneously as they heard the sound of someone crying echoing from the hallway. They immediately rushed to the source of the crying. 

It came from Taehyung and Jungkook's room. Both Seokjin and Yoongi exchanged a worried glance before they pushed open the room door. It was dark, the room was not lit. Seokjin speedily went to switch on the room light. The first thing that came to sight was Taehyung curled up in a corner of the room with knees near his chest and both hands covering his ears and head down, trying his best to muffled or block something away. The thunder? Jungkook's cry? Or something else. Jungkook, on the other hand, was totally hidden under the blanket, also curled up like a dumpling. But Jungkook was shaking under the blanket and letting out sounds of sobbing. Seokjin headed for Taehyung and Yoongi went straight to Jungkook's side. The others heard the cries as well, Hoseok and Namjoon both stood at the door staring into the room.

"Tae-yah? You alright? It's just thunder. It's ok." Seokjin knelt beside Taehyung and tried to pull his hands down from covering his ears, wanting the boy to listen to him. At the contact, Taehyung flinched and pulled back, not letting Seokjin grab his hands. 

"Hey Tae. look! It's me. You are in your room, there's nothing here." Taehyung ignored Seokjin and kept his hands on his ears and head down, mumbling something without sound under his breath. Seokjin went on to hug the boy and he could feel Taehyung trembling in his arms. 

"Jungkook?" Yoongi didn't know how should he approached the shaking and crying boy under the blanket. He tried to slowly and gently pulled the blanket down, not wanting to startle the boy, but before Jungkook's head could even be revealed, he was met with the same situation as Taehyung, Jungkook grabbed hold onto the blanket and not allowing Yoongi to pull it away. Without a choice, Yoongi sat down on Jungkook's bed beside the shaking dumpling with one arm over Jungkook's hunched back, moving his hands in soothing circles. The cries died down after some time and Yoongi attempted to pull down the blanket again. This time, Jungkook did not resist. The boy was in tears no doubt but what Yoongi also saw is that Jungkook actually wet his bed. Jungkook was not shaking anymore but still sobbing silently and face blushed with embarrassment when Yoongi found out the mess he did on his bed. 

Jungkook looked at Yoongi with teary eyes. "I-I.." 

"Shh... it's nothing buddy." Yoongi smiled warmly ruffling Jungkook's messy and sweaty hair. Yoongi noticed Hoseok still standing at the door.

"Hoseok, could you get me a towel?" Hoseok upon hearing the instruction went straight into action. 

"Let's get you change shall we?" 

"Yoo-yoongi hyung. I-I'm sor.." Jungkook's intended apologies were cut off by Yoongi signalling him to shut up. 

"One more word about you being sorry, I'm going to get really pissed," Yoongi said to Jungkook, though crude but never threatening, Jungkook, without a choice just nodded and held his tongue and let Yoongi and Hoseok took care of the cleaning. In no time, Jungkook and his bed were as clean and fresh as ever. 

Taehyung did not cry. The last time he cried was the day when Seokjin took him in. But Taehyung never once cried after that. He won't. Seokjin helped Taehyung up from the corner and led him back to his bed, tucked him in. Giving Taehyung a gentle peck on his forehead before Taehyung falls back into his sleep. 

It took Yoongi and Seokjin quite an effort to put the two boys back to bed, turning off the room light once again and finally closing the room door softly behind them. Letting out a sigh, the two plopped onto the couch in exhaustion. 

"How's Jungkook? He wet the bed?" Seokjin asked, eyes staring at the ceiling of the living room.

"Yeah. I think he was just too scared. He was crying and shaking a lot. How's Taehyung?" Yoongi too was staring at the ceiling above.

"He's ok I guess. Will talk to him later." 

"Are you scared too? Thunder." Yoongi asked, now with his eyes closed.

"Lately. Yes." Seokjin was being honest, though he could control his fear better than the younger ones, the sound of the thunder still frightens him, he would have cried too if not for Yoongi being there with him. 

"Me too." Yoongi too admitted. 

****************

'Calm down you idiot! Huuuuu huuuu..... Calm down KIM NAMJOON!' Namjoon squeezes his eyes shut and tries to equalise his breathing.

'Oh C'mon! Not now!' Namjoon, alone in the bathroom could not catch his breath, it's getting shallow and his heart is palpitating so fast he wonders if it would just breakthrough his ribcage any moment. He is out of breath and his vision starts to blur and blackout, probably the lack of oxygen, then an urge to throw up came. He has been throwing up for a whole day yesterday now. Not again. 

Hunched over the toilet bowl, almost hugging it, Namjoon was at it again, involuntarily letting his abdominal muscles take control of him, trying hard to breathe between every gap of his vomiting. Mucus from his nose, tears, sweat, vomit, a mess. 

Just as Namjoon was trying to catch his breath again, he felt a hand rubbing his back. Wait! Did he not locked the bathroom door? He couldn't recall. He was too focused on his breathing that he did not notice Seokjin has entered and was squatting down beside him in the bathroom. When Namjoon realised, he was waiting for Seokjin to question him, perhaps to ask if he was sick, but Seokjin kept his silence and continued his hand movement on Namjoon's back. When Namjoon was done, Seokjin helped him stand and brought Namjoon to the kitchen table. Namjoon was sitting there blankly while Seokjin almost ransacked the whole cabinet for medications that stops vomiting and made Namjoon a warm cup of ginger tea. 

"Take these. You'll feel better." Seokjin pushed the pills towards Namjoon. 

"Aren't you going to ask me what's wrong?" Namjoon now looking up into Seokjin's eyes. He is sure Seokjin is curious and dying to know why the sudden behaviour change. 

"You'll let me know if you want to." Seokjin returns Namjoon's gaze. "Drink your tea before it gets cold."

Seokjin was almost in the hallway heading back to his room when Namjoon starts speaking. Seokjin turns back to face Namjoon.

"I saw him. My brother. I could see him dying in front of me when Jungkook had his seizure that day." Tears starting rolling down Namjoon's face as he speaks.

"It keeps coming. Those images. I just... I just..." Namjoon had his face buried in his palms. "I-I didn't mean to avoid Jungkook on purpose." 

Seokjin returned to the kitchen table and sat in front of Namjoon. Namjoon wiped his tears away with his sleeves and took a sip of the ginger tea.

"Do you know why I stayed in Korea? ... It's because I couldn't take the plane... and ...." None of them could take the plane, at least not in the near future. 

"and.... it's my fault that we came to Korea for vacation in the first place, it's my idea, Hwijoon never wanted initially." More tears came rolling down.

"and... I can't save him." Guilt is eating up Namjoon inside. "I can't go back because I don't know how to face everyone there. My parents, my family, Hwijoon's friends. I took away Hwijoon from them." 

"Namjoon. It's not just you. WE can't save them. But then, it's not our fault, even if we wanted, we can't save them. It's just.. just fate." Seokjin also tearing up. 

"Your brother will never blame you for anything, and I believe he wants you to be happy and move forward." 

"You don't understand. His body, all messed up in front of me. It's scary. I'm scared." Even if Namjoon is able to come to terms with his guilt, that image of his brother dead before his eyes will forever be there to haunt him. 

"I understand." Seokjin hugged Namjoon as he sobs silently. 

From that day on, Namjoon tried his very best to not avoid Jungkook, although sometimes he might still end up in the bathroom. But it is getting better. 

************

"What're you doing?" Namjoon was eyeing Seokjin as Seokjin was gesturing into the mirror on his own.

"Practicing." Seokjin smiled. There's no point in Taehyung learning sign language but none in the house understood sign language. Seokjin, for the sake of Taehyung took up classes so that he could communicate with Taehyung.

"But Taehyung can hear you, you know?" Exactly. Taehyung is not deaf, Seokjin doesn't need to gesture to him, he only needs to understand it. Namjoon shook his head. 

"By the way, isn't Taehyung's birthday two days from now?" Namjoon remembered.

"Yup. It is."