Ignore mistakes, please

Third person P.O.V

Another morning was there with the cool breeze welcoming the winter and bringing big smiles to the faces of winter lovers. Even when Taehyung was one of them, he couldn't enjoy that... the weekend and the off day weren't even added to make it better.

Sleepless night... fortnight? Yes, exactly 14 days since he had a good sleep instead of naps full of terrors. His body was in dire need of a long sleep and peaceful night or day, but his mind was too alert to even close his eyes, with a lingering unknown fear beneath.

"Taehyung ah! Wake up. We are going out for breakfast." The knock at the door with the muffled voice of his brother made him more annoyed to the extent that he felt like crying loudly.

The rustling of the curtains had him shiver when a scattered fragment of his previous night waved back to his vision. There was someone standing right in front of his window, a big silhouette that shadowed the whole area and when he took the courage to remove the curtains, he was met with the darkness of the night, with their neighbor's dog barking harshly.

What was that? Something was really there or...

"There is nothing like that, Taehyung! Get your senses back. It's just the lack of sleep making you imagine nonsense." That was the only logic bearable and understandable regarding the situation, and it was easier, too.

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"One camomile tea, one espresso, and two servings of pancakes. One with strawberry and cream at the top while the other with maple syrup." Taehyung silently listened to his brother, placing the order in the new cafe they visited for the first time near their house.

Namjoon gave a sweet smile to the waiter before turning back to his dazed brother... his smile faded in an instant, observing his condition. The usual glow of his skin was almost gone. There were prominent eye bags with red lines surrounding his captivating eyes. No excitement even after hearing his favorite order, no happy gleam in his eyes, just slumped... exhausted figure, something not like his brother, not like Kim Taehyung he knew.

"Is everything alright, bear?" Taehyung stayed dazed until a rough hand landed on his right one, placed on the table, getting his attention.

Finding the oblivious look on his face, Namjoon repeated the question gently, already sure that something was really wrong with his brother. The last week could be due to the loneliness he felt because Ali was gone, but this week shouldn't have been like that.

"Hyung... I'm exhausted." The words weren't needed to confirm that. He looked clearly exhausted and spent.

"Why is that so? Is college too much for you? Or is it because of Ali?" 

The name of his best friend had him bite his lips, hands unconsciously going up to the pendant in his neck gifted by the same person. "I don't know, hyung. But I can't sleep well. It's been days, and now I'm totally drained. I need to sleep. I- I want to sleep peacefully." Harshly tugging his soft hair, he groaned in the end, desperation dripping down each word.

"Hey, calm down. It could be due to distress or something. Don't worry, how about we visit a psychologist and get some therapy?" Taehyung heavily sighed when Namjoon softly pulled away his hands from tormenting his hair and suggested calmly.

Maybe his brother was right. He could visit a doctor and see where it goes. At least, he might get some good medicine to let him sleep.

When a small nod was received, Namjoon quickly pulled out his phone to find a good psychologist for his brother and showed a few results after a little research. "This one has very good ratings. Let's visit today if we get it set luckily. I'm trying an appointment for the evening."

Taehyung watched with dull eyes as his brother went out of the cafe to book the appointment on the call, and the waiter came with their order. The alluring smell of the fresh pancakes had his mouth-watering, and a ghost of a smile formed on his lips, seeing the little efforts to make a cute smiley on his strawberry pancakes.

"Thank you." The waiter smiled and left after muttering a small 'enjoy your food', and just when Taehyung thought that his day could be better, he felt someone staring at him, literally burning a hole in his back. The shiver he felt down his spine rendered him to turn back and see the person because deep down, he knew it wouldn't be good for his already distressed mind.

Taking deep inhales to divert his attention, the raven-haired male looked outside to find the traffic running smoothly, less rushy due to the weekend, when his eyes caught sight of an oddly familiar face standing on the other side of the the road, staring at him.

His eyes widened when he recalled the face instantly, and unknowingly, his heart skipped a beat when the person tilted his head and licked his lips. The same rosy lips he saw up close a few days ago on the campus. Something that left him in an awe to that level for the first time.

As if on autopilot mode, he got up from the chair and walked towards the glass door of the cafe, following the urge to just get to him and... and do what?? He didn't know. He just wanted to go there, near him.

Keeping his eyes fixed on the figure cladded in black again, he rushed with his full strength but halted abruptly when a hand wrapped around his arm. "Taehyung, where are you going? Our order is here."

Frowning at the interruption, Taehyung opened his mouth to protest while diverting his gaze to the road, only to find the other gone... just like the last time. The adrenaline that pumped inside his veins suddenly vanished, leaving his eyes again dull and exhausted.

Namjoon had a frown the whole time, reading the change in expressions of his brother... that didn't settle well with him. Wearing a small smile, he gently held Taehyung's shoulders and turned him towards himself.

"Taebear, come and eat something. Look, I ordered your favorite. Let's enjoy before it gets cold, hmm?" Not getting any reply, Namjoon gulped before taking the younger boy with him to the table, avoiding the stares of the few customers on the other tables.

"Here, let's gobble it up." Cheering up, he made the first bite and moaned at the taste, continuing the little one-way chat to keep Taehyung engaged, all while making sure that he finished his portion of breakfast before they left the cafe.

Their next stop was the shopping mall, more like a day out planned by Namjoon out of sudden. Taehyung knew that his brother was doing so because of him. Otherwise, his brother was more sleep-the-weekend type of person instead of the roaming and getting tired type, even on the off day.

Even when he felt guilty, he enjoyed spending time with his brother after so long. They had many stops at shops and got their hands full of shopping bags. But around 4 pm, Taehyung gave up as his tired body couldn't take more exhaustion.

"Ok, let's go back and get some rest. Your appointment is at 7 pm. We will have our dinner out as well." He should be excited, but a dull nod was all Namjoon got in turn, that ached his heart. Something very bad was happening with his brother, and he was sure of it.

The drive back to the home was silent. Taehyung had his head resting on the window glass as Namjoon kept on glancing his way. Judging from his tired eyes, Taehyung looked very close to passing out, but the slits in his eyes never shut down.

Reaching home, Namjoon went to the kitchen, made a strawberry shake for both of them, and told Taehyung to go to his room.

The room was almost dark with eerie silence lurking there as if it was never occupied by the chirping male.

Gazing around the whole place, he turned on the lights, trudging to the bathroom to wash his face. The reflection in the mirror had him stop and glare at the stark dull face. Whatever was happening with him was getting on his nerves now. He hated the situation. That's not him... that's not like him!

No, you are like that ~

Goosebumps swarmed his body when a whisper left his ear red in shock. His rash search around the space found no one except his own presence.

Slapping his wet forehead twice, he took deep breaths to stabilize the heavy breathing. "There is nothing. It's just your mind, Taehyung. Nothing else."

No, it's not~

Jerking his head back, he felt as if someone passed by him at a great speed, giving him another episode of slightly painful goosebumps.

"Taehyung! The shake is ready. Have some." Licking his lips, Taehyung quickly came out of the bathroom to find his brother putting a tray with two glasses of shakes on the table.

Sitting on the bed rather alert and stiff, Taehyung halfway listened to Namjoon talking about the shopping they did, and most of his mind stayed on the odd event of the day.

"Let's call Dad. He must be free now." That's how they got busy till it was time for their appointment.

The clinic was not too far, and the roads were not crowded as well, resulting in reducing the time of their drive. They had to wait for fifteen minutes before Taehyung was called inside.

"Hi, Mr. Kim." The polite doctor smiled but kind of felt bad seeing the dullness in the face of a handsome boy.

Taehyung greeted back the doctor, smiling a bit before taking the seat. The doctor started with his formal introduction, and then he asked about what he had been feeling these days.

Ten minutes, it took only ten minutes to tell the horrible feeling in his mind, those feelings of terror he couldn't pinpoint, and the words he had been hearing... definitely, his hallucinations.

The doctor named Choi Eunwoo carefully noted each and every word, along with the emotions that crossed Taehyung's face. Mostly, it was confusion molded with utter fear.

"Night terror*." Doctor Lee concluded, tapping his pen on the clipboard. "How many hours have you slept?"

Taehyung counted his fingers twice and thrice before gulping thickly and looking at the doctor. "9 hours."

The doctor frowned, but his frowning face changed to a shocking face when the realization was dawned in. "Only 9 hours in fourteen nights?!"

Taehyung nodded absentmindedly, his droopy eyes begging to rest. "Please, I want to sleep. I'm so tired." The mist in his eyes didn't go unnoticed by the doctor who bit his lips before his pen was busy writing something.

"Let's try this first. Take two tablets tonight. It will help you sleep. But Mr. Kim, not more than two, ok?"

Taking the prescription, Taehyung walked out of the room, but to his surprise, Namjoon was called inside the doctor's room. So, he took a seat in the waiting area, mindlessly staring at the wall.

"Let's go." Namjoon's voice dragged him out. He noticed the worried face of him but stayed silent, with a hope that it would be fine now. Because it was just a medical situation, and now when he has seen a doctor, it would be fine.

But only if he knew that it wasn't just a night terror but he was trapped and the strings of the trap were not so easy to un-tangle... the same trap he had dragged himself into. 

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*Night terror: a sleep disorder in which a person quickly awakens from sleep in a terrified state.

Assalam o alaikum.

Stay warm ♡