I had never seen him so angry.

He hadn't said a single word after he made direct eye contact with me following Namjoon's admittance.

I gave up trying to convince him to speak to me. I just followed behind like a lost puppy, watching as my other dear friends walked beside their loved ones.

My feet dragged through the leaves, dirtying up my boots, but they were the least of my concerns.

The silence was quickly becoming deafening. I could see my friends getting further and further ahead of me, but... maybe it was for the best?

All I had brought them was trouble.

I purposefully slowed down my steps even more, putting an even greater distance.

Maybe I should go back to Auralia? Or just head in a different direction entirely? To a place where nobody would ever know who I am, or what my past entails.

These thoughts filled my mind until my feet completely drifted to a halt. I looked ahead of me, where the footsteps of my friends were the last remnants of their memories.

The sun was beginning to set, and I couldn't help but release a breath and smile. There was something so calming and beautiful about watching the nighttime overcome the daylight.

I remember my father and I used to sit on the balcony overlooking the garden, where we would admire the sunsets every night while mother would hum behind us, squeezing her husband's shoulder and running a finger through my hair.

I was brought back to the reality at hand when a hand slammed against my mouth and an arm wrapped around my neck, cutting of my circulation.

"What are you doing here?" GET OUT ME SWAMP

Lol okay I'm sorry

I shook my head, feeling tears stinging my eyes.

The pressure on my mouth released slightly. "I will remove my hand if you don't scream. If you scream or alert anyone, I will kill you. Got it?"

I nodded, releasing a breath when my mouth was free. I felt cold metal press against my throat as I was turned around to face my attacker.

To my surprise, he was quite handsome. He was a few inches shorter than me, with bubblegum pink hair that fell slightly onto his forehead. His small eyes bore daggers into my sole.

When he spoke, I noticed a small, crooked tooth on the bottom side of his mouth.

"Now, what the hell are you doing here?"

I swallowed. "I, uh, ran away and I got separated from my group."

He snorted. "I watched you slip away from them. I know when a person is battling with their own inner turmoil." He gave a small smile. "Hell, I've gone through enough of it myself. You were considering leaving your group, weren't you?"

I nodded, unable to hide the truth. "I have caused them way too much trouble, and I'm not worth any of it. They deserve happy lives."

My attacker gave a look I couldn't recognize before nodding. "I get what that feels like." I took a breath when the blade was taken away from my throat, only for the pressure to be replaced with a belt. "Only I can't let it tear you apart like it did me." He growled.

Tears streamed down my cheeks as my breathing hitched in my throat. The nighttime had almost fully overcome the daylight at this point, or maybe that was my lack of oxygen making me believe that.

"You better get the fuck away from my boyfriend before I bury you alive."

That deep voice made me throw my eyes open, only to see my group of friends with shocked looks on their faces.

Taehyung was crying into Jungkook's chest as the younger tried to comfort him. Seokjin had a hand covering his open mouth, and his eyes were wide. Namjoon and Yoongi looked pissed, and I could almost see the smoke coming out of their ears.

"Excuse me?" My attacker laughed, squeezing the belt tighter. I gasped as I could feel myself slipping even further into unconsciousness.

Yoongi chuckled darkly. "Oh, my friend, that wasn't a very bright decision." He ran forward, Namjoon close behind. I caught a glimpse of Jungkook pushing Taehyung next to Jin before the youngest ran over too. Yoongi tackled both of us, yanking the belt off of my neck, making me be able to see the bright pinks and oranges of the sunset once more.

Jungkook helped me up, pulling me away as I turned around to watch Yoongi and Namjoon punching at the attacker.

"J-J-"

"Shh... don't try to talk Hobi." Jungkook whispered, giving me a hug.

"P-Please s-stop t-them." I whispered back with what I could manage.

Jungkook nodded before whistling.

The three males all quit their actions and stared in our direction.

"You three have been ordered to stop fighting." Jungkook stated.

The attacker chuckled. "What the fuck is this? Why were we ordered to do anything?"

Jungkook wore a smug look on his face and crossed his arms over his chest. "Because you were instructed to stop by the Prince of Auralia."

My attacker's eyes widened as he shook his head. "No way. Oh my God, no no no. I-I didn't know who he was, I-I promise!"

Namjoon snorted. "That's what they always fucking say."

Yoongi stood up, and pointed to the man on the ground. "Get up."

He did as he said, wincing slightly. "I have a name, you know."

"You know what? Nobody cares." Namjoon said, picking the belt used on my throat up from the ground. "I don't have handcuffs on me so this will have to do. Turn around."

The attacker nodded, hanging his head low for a few seconds before whipping his head up. "Wait a second... If your group was heading away from Auralia, and you're the Prince..." he spoke out loud. "Did you stop walking with your group because you wanted to go back to Auralia?"

My friend's all looked in my direction with expectant looks as I shrugged. I opened my mouth to speak, only for Yoongi to speak up.

"Hobi, you shouldn't be talking and exerting yourself. We'll stay here for the night, taking shifts of who will watch this hooligan. We'll finish our trip in the morning. Namjoon, can you take first watch?"

He nodded. "Hell yeah."

I sighed before dragging my feet to a flat patch of the grass. I sat down and crossed my legs, hanging my head low.

It was only a few seconds until I was yanked up by a strong set of bruised fists.

I looked at the person who pulled me up, seeing tear stains on Yoongi's cheeks as he pulled me against his chest in a hug.

"I-Y-You came back for me?" I whispered, my arms wasting no time in wrapping around his thin frame.

"Of course, you idiot!" Yoongi cried. "I love you, don't you know that?"

I gave a small smile as I watched Taehyung curl up against Jungkook a few feet away.

"I know that now."

••••••

Lol I stayed home today instead of going to classes to recover from my marvelous 2 AM hopsital visit and I decided to write a little for you beautiful people

This story is also now at #82 in hobi 🤗
Update: 4 hours later we are down to #102 dammit

This is also like the longest update I've done in a hot minute