all right, it seems that most of you crave that tragic ending so here you go ;)

something was different this time, and jin knew what it was.

it took him a few moments to realize it, but then it made sense.

it was a dream.

he knew it was a dream.

and still, he chose to stay.

***

"He's not waking up," Yoongi said, frustrated. "Medication my ass. It's been twelve hours. Something's wrong."

"But that's the thing," the doctor said, ignoring Yoongi's frustration because he dealt with that on a daily basis. "His vitals all look good. He's healthy. He's just...asleep."

"But he woke up," Jungkook said desperately, his eyes wide. "I saw him, I talked to him- ask Tae! He was there!"

Tae frowned. "Maybe we were the ones dreaming, Jungkook."

Jungkook shook his head, his eyes wet. "No! We talked with hyung! I remember it!"

Truth was, so did Taehyung. But he was scared to admit it, because that meant that Jin had chosen this...this state of unconsciousness...over living with them, awake and in the real world.

"We already tried bringing him back," Tae said, his voice soft. "What more can we do if he doesn't want to come?"

The doctor opened his mouth but closed it. "Never mind."

Namjoon narrowed his eyes. "Say it. Whatever you were going to say."

The doctor frowned before nodding. "The testing has proved inconclusive, but...there's one last thing that we can try."

"We'll do it."

"But it hasn't been approved or properly-"

"What do we have to do?" Namjoon asked, crossing his arms.

The doctor just sighed, having expected this response. "It's a new type of dream therapy. We would hook you all up to machines - Jin included - and match the wavelengths from your sleep pattern to induce a similar dream state. Then...ideally...you would be able to..." He hesitated. "I don't know quite how to describe it. Dream hop? If that makes sense?"

"Are you saying...we'd be able to get into Jin's dreams?"

The doctor exhaled slowly. "Ideally. I'm not saying that it's guaranteed. But, yes, that's the goal. To convince Jin to return at the subconscious level. But like I said, the tests haven't come back with proven success rates, and there are risks involved for both you and the patient."

"What risks?"

The doctor looked down before meeting Namjoon's eyes, hesitant but not regretful. "There is, of course, the chance that it wouldn't work and Jin would remain as is - comatose. But there's the additional risk that you'll all join him."

"What?"

"When you're in that realm, you may forget that it's all a dream. You could start to believe that that place - however it appears in Jin's mind - is the reality. You all could become trapped in a coma as well."

"Cool, so do we have to sign somewhere?" Yoongi asked, scanning the doctor's hands for a clipboard with a dotted line. "Or can we just say yes and move this thing along? Hook us up already."

***

The doctor looked down.

All seven members - the unconscious Jin included - were each hooked up to their own machine.

"If any of you want to back out-"

"Shut up and make it work," Yoongi snapped, and the doctor just sighed and nodded.

"Close your eyes, boys," the doctor said, only he didn't tell them that it might be the last time the do so.

One by one, they closed their eyes and hoped to see Jin on the other side.

***

"what do you want to play, hyung?" jungkook asked, but jin just shrugged, rolling over on his bed.

"i don't really feel like playing, jungkook," jin said. he was tired of the strange energy of the dream realm, where every second was fully devoted to making him enjoy himself and have fun.

but he just wanted some peace and quiet to think on his decision.

had he really made the right decision?

"oh...okay, hyung..."

jin heard the door to his room swing shut, and he sighed as he was left alone.

being awake - even for a short time - had been...nostalgic.

both good nostalgia and bad nostalgia.

he'd forgotten the precise details of taehyung's face, and seeing it in person - for real - had made him remember every line and crease and angle.

but seeing his friend also made him remember how he felt like a prop, just a tool for the industry to use as it needed, just another face to stick on the posters.

at least here, he wasn't a prop.

he heard the door open again, and he sighed, harsher this time. "jungkook, i already told you, i don't want to-"

***

"jungkook, i already told you, i don't want to-"

"jin hyung? is that you?" jungkook asked unsurely. he'd opened his eyes to what appeared to be a world of pure darkness, and it had scared him until the darkness had pulsed several times before taking shape in a familiar building: the layout of their dorm. he'd heard people talking in the end room, but he had ducked into jin's room first, hoping that everything had worked.

jin rolled over to face jungkook, confused. "yeah...you were just in here a minute ago, remember?"

jungkook frowned. "i was?"

jin nodded. "yeah, you asked me if i wanted to play."

jungkook tilted his head. did i do that? why is my mind feeling fuzzy? but then jungkook focused. jin hyung. we need to save him. we need to bring him home. "no, jin. i'm not him, whoever he is. i'm jungkook. the real one. from reality."

jin just stared.

"please, jin, you need to believe me. we need you to come home. we miss you," jungkook said, his eyes wet yet again. "please, jin, you have to believe me. i'm real. this place that you created? it's not real, jin. it's fake. it's all a dream. but i'm not a dream, jin. i'm real. and i need you to come back to reality with me."

the other members from reality slowly joined jin as their wavelengths synced to jin's.

they all murmured, agreeing.

tae still hadn't appeared.

just then, the door was pushed open farther, and they all turned, expecting to see tae, but instead-

"jungkook?" jin asked, and the two jungkooks stared at each other.

then the one who had just entered ran over to jin, clinging to his arm. "he's not real, jin! he's trying to take you awake from us! but you promised, jin! you said you'd stay here for ever! you said you wouldn't let go! you said you wouldn't ignore us!"

jin shook his head, confused. isn't that what he told me? who is really benefiting from this realm - me, or them?

all of the dream versions of the members entered the room and stood facing the members from reality until jin was having a hard time looking at any of them.

then tae finally entered.

he ignored his doppelganger and all the others and stared straight at jin.

"why did you choose this, jin?" tae asked in his soft, deep voice. "you could have chosen anything, anywhere, anyone, and yet you chose bts, you chose our home, you chose us." tae never looked away from jin. "you chose us. you want to be with us, jin, even if it scares you. you want us, not some clones with our faces. isn't that what you were going to tell me, jin? that you wanted to be more than a face? well, look around, jin. look what you're done to us."

jin blinked, staring first at the real members before staring at the ones that he'd created to satisfy his need for love, companionship, and attention. for the first time, he felt guilty.

"do you see, jin? it isn't any different. but we aren't angry. we just want you to come back with us."

"no! jin is staying here forever!" the dream version of jungkook yelled, and the other dream versions nodded. "he promised us!"

tae just kept staring at jin. "what do you want, jin? to stay here for the rest of your life with your fake copies, or to come back with us, the real thing?" tae held up a hand so jin couldn't interrupt. "but before you answer, think about this. is it real - the love, the warmth, the whatever it is that made you create this place and makes you stay here - if we're fake? is it reality enough for you? or does it not matter to you if your own happiness if fake as well?"

tae finally stopped to look around at everyone. "the doctor said we might get lost here and think that this is real life. but do you know how i know it's fake?" tae asked, looking back at jin. "because you're unhappy, and you're not even trying to hide it. in reality, you always try to pretend to be happy in front of us because you're the oldest hyung and you've always been taking care of us. you always put our happiness first. that's how i know this is all a lie, hyung, and i really hope you realize that too."

And Tae opened his eyes.

the real jungkook nodded. "come back hyung. we need you," he said simply.

And Jungkook opened his eyes.

"we miss you everywhere," jimin said.

And Jimin opened his eyes.

"it's not the same without you," hobi said.

And Hobi opened his eyes.

"nobody makes jokes anymore," yoongi said.

And Yoongi opened his eyes.

"we all love you, jin. more than these fake versions ever could, no matter how hard they laugh at your jokes or how much they play games with you. open your eyes, jin," namjoon said.

And Namjoon woke up.

"i don't know..." jin whispered, and now he was by himself. all the doppelgangers were gone. he was back in the black room, where there were no physical objects, only himself and the darkness. "i don't know if i can handle reality. it hurts too much. this world isn't painful to me. everything loves me. but..." he thought back to tae's words. "is it worse to be unloved, or for the love you receive to be a lie?"

jin closed his eyes so the darkness was inside of his eyelids.

am i ready for the pain that reality may bring?

am i ready for the ugly truths i may have to face?

am i ready for the struggles i may have to overcome?

jin thought back to the two lines of his friends, one real, one of his own imagination. the friends of his imagination had clung to him, demanding that he stay, unrelenting, unwilling to let go.

but they were just a manifestation of his own mind.

he didn't want to give up this world where everything was soft, all the edges smoothed, where he was loved.

he didn't want to leave.

he didn't want to go back.

and yet...

his real friends. they didn't force him. they didn't cling. they didn't try to smooth the edges.

they told him the truth.

even though it hurt.

they gave him the option to decide his own happiness.

but he knew that his happiness was intertwined with theirs, and theirs with his.

jin thought about all of this, about lies and truths, about rapture and pain, about imitation and reality.

And then Jin opened his eyes.

aaand that's the end :) i lied when i said it was a tragedy just to make it a little unpredictable

if you've read any of my other books, you know i like the angst to resolve in happiness eventually

hope this was angsty enough to satisfy your craving for tragedy

and conclusive enough to satisfy your craving for happiness :)

*disclaimer: i know nothing about the possibility of dream therapy*

thank you for reading :) please check out my/our other works if you have time (there are 2 authors on this account)

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