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Taehyung lifts his head, tilting his ear towards the sound, listening.
"Jimin?" Taehyung wonders uncertainly.
Yoongi's heart twists a little.
"Jungkook?" Taehyung asks, getting to his feet, one hand reaching forward, seeking.
Yoongi steps forward, hand meeting Taehyung's outstretched one.
"It's me."
Taehyung's face clears and he breaks into a relieved smile, fingers holding tightly onto Yoongi.
"Hyung! I thought someone broke into the house."
"Come on," he wraps an arm around Taehyung's shoulders. "Jin hyung's got dinner."
Taehyung laughs, leaning into him. "Yay! I was hungry."
Jin is crying. He is not making a sound, but his shoulders are shaking and there are shiny trails of tears on his face. But his hand is steady as he gently combs through Taehyung's hair who has finally asleep in his lap. Jimin's got his face buried in his knees. Jungkook is staring at Taehyung with a face wiped clean of all emotion, his hand clenched at his sides. Hoseok has a hand fisted in his hair, although his eyes are shining, his face is white with the effort to keep them at bay. Namjoon is gripping on to Jin's shirt, breathing shallow and stuttered. Yoongi is curled up on the floor beside Taehyung, eyes fixed on him. The trails of dried tears are visible on his cheeks.
Macula degeneration.
Rapid and irreversible.
The future they have always imagined disappear with Taehyung's eyesight.
"I make everyone sad don't I?" Taehyung asks softly. "Maybe I should-"
"Shut up," Yoongi snaps. Taehyung flinches. Yoongi runs a hand through his hair to calm himself down. "Don't say dumb shit like that. You're not making anyone sad. They're making themselves sad, there's a difference."
Taehyung lifts a hand, long fingers coming to rest on Yoongi's face, trailing gently down his face. Memorizing. Yoongi knows Taehyung is trying to reconcile what he 'sees' with his hands with his memory.
"Are you sad, hyung?"
Yoongi keeps his face still with great effort.
"No," he lies.
Taehyung smiles softly like he knows. "Neither am I, hyung."
They try to continue. Taehyung begs them to keep going. But their first live performance afterwards, Taehyung veers off the stage and breaks a wrist in the fall.
And that is that.
Then they try to continue without Taehyung. But the second time they leave Taehyung alone in the apartment because they need to go record, Taehyung burns both hands trying to boil water to make ramen.
That night, after Taehyung falls asleep, they sit down and weigh their dreams. Weigh them against Taehyung. Weigh them against Taehyung and the family they have built and the promises they have made about forever.
The bulletproof boy scouts end that night.
Yoongi, Namjoon, Hoseok and Jimin still work at Big Hit. Behind the scenes of course but still immersed in music and dance. And they go home every night without fail because Taehyung would worry otherwise.
Jin has his own hugely popular food blog, EatJin, on YouTube run from their very own kitchen. Taehyung always gets to eat the creations that Jin makes although those moments are never captured on camera.
And Jungkook is actually going to university, doing most of his subjects online so he gets to stay home with Taehyung most of the time.
Taehyung thinks they'll regret it. That they'll come to hate it, hate him. He's destroyed all of their dreams. Even if he had never wanted them to, they had made the biggest sacrifice for him. So he's feels really afraid sometimes, waiting for that day when he'll wake up to an empty house. Because even if he can't see light anymore, the sound of their voices is like the sunrise for him and if he loses them, then he'll truly be lost.
The first time he realized something was wrong was when they were practicing the choreography for their comeback song. His vision had blurred so much that Jungkook and Jimin who he'd seen standing in front of him a moment ago had disappeared in darkness.
Yoongi hadn't thought anything of it when Taehyung cried out. The kid make strange noises all the time. But Jin had gone to him anyway because Jin has way more patience than he does and by then Taehyung had been sitting down on the floor. Yoongi had wanted to snap at him for holding up practice but then Jin had looked up at him.
"Yoongi!"
He still remembers it so clearly, the panic and the fear in Jin's voice. Remembers the feel of his knees hitting the floor, Jimin and Hoseok talking incessantly beside them in worry, and Namjoon running off to find anyone, and the way Taehyung's eyes were darting everywhere when he had been right in front of him.
"Hyung," Taehyung had whispered, a hand clutching at the one Yoongi had placed on his shoulder, "Hyung, I can't see. I can't see you."
Yoongi has never felt fear the way he had felt it then. Then at the hospital when the doctors were explaining to them in very calm voices that Taehyung is going to be blind, that soon he will never see anything ever again, Yoongi couldn't believe it. How could this happen? How could this happen to them? If couldn't be true. It just couldn't. Taehyung will be fine. He'll be fine and they'll be fine, and this is all just a nightmare because he didn't sleep enough. And he'll go home on time every night, he'll stop drinking, he'll stop smoking, he'll go to church, he'll do anything, anything, please god, don't let this happen.
Please.
Hurt him, not Taehyung. Take his sight but leave Taehyung alone, damn it! The kid is the most innocent one out of them all!
Oh god. What are they going to do?
"Isn't there a way?" Hoseok asks, hands gripping together. "Isn't there a drug or a transplant or something?"
"We've placed him on the donor program but the chances that we'll find a matching donor are really low," the doctor tells them apologetically. "I am sorry."
Yoongi digs his finger nails into his palms and forces the tears back.
"How can you say that?" Jungkook yells, rushing to his feet. His face is red. It matches his eyes. "How can you do nothing?"
"I'm sorry, son," the doctor says and Jin holds tightly onto Jungkook's wrist to keep him from rushing the doctor.
"Now-" the doctor turns to Jin and Namjoon, and Yoongi digs his nails in deeper, "he's going to need full time care, at least at the start until he gets used to everything. I understand that all of you have busy schedules so I can recommend a few care facilities that Taehyung can-"
"No!" Yoongi snaps and glares at the doctor when he looks at him quizzically. "We're not sending him away."
"We are going to take care of him," Jin adds, much more calmly than Yoongi. "Taehyung is staying with us."
"I hope you understand that this is going to be a very stressful time for Taehyung, and for you also if you're committing yourself to his care. I understand that you feel responsible-"
"No. You understand!" Yoongi snaps. "Stop talking about Taehyung like he's going to die. He's not! And we are responsible. We're his family. So we'll take care of him. Stop talking like he's going to be better off with some strangers!"
The last few days before Taehyung completely lost his sight were bittersweet. There wanted to make these last days happy for Taehyung, so that he remembers them forever. But in these few days they cry more than they ever have in their lives.
One of those last evenings, they grab a few bottles of soju, and head down to the beach. It's the long end of winter so there is no one else. They spread a blanket on the cold sand and settle down. Jimin tries, with Hoseok and Jin, to keep conversation going but in the end words fail and they drink silently.
It's barely half past five but the sun is already dipping against the horizon.
"Sunsets are really pretty," Taehyung says, eyes fixed on the golden sky. "I never really looked before."
The way Jimin's eyes tear up, Namjoon can tell he's going to cry. He knows if one them starts crying, they will all follow. He doesn't want that. At least, he wants to push it back as far as he can. Even if he knows it is unavoidable.
"Nah," he lets his voice slur, "Jin hyung is way prettier."
Everyone laughs. And the tears disappear from Jimin's eyes for the moment. Taehyung reaches for Jin who scoots closer immediately. Taehyung stares at Jin for a long moment.
"You're beautiful, hyung," Taehyung says, smiling, "I'll never forget that."
Jin sniffs tearfully but manages to smile, pulling Taehyung close and kissing his dark hair. "I know you won't."
"Toast to Jin hyung," Hoseok cries, lifting his bottle of soju, "prettier than the sunset."
They all lift their bottles, laughing. Jin turns pink, but joins the toast anyway.
"You're all crazy," he mutters.
After the sunset, which they all watch with rapt attention as if they can all suddenly feel the finality of it, Taehyung turns to them.
"I want to say something," he says softly, biting his lip nervously for a moment. "It's really scary, this- this thing. I don't know what's going to happen so I'm really scared. But whenever I think you're all going to be with me, I feel better. So what I want to say is-" Jimin is crying now. So is Hoseok and Jin. Namjoon wipes a hand across his face. "-thank you. You're the best family ever and I love you more than anything."
He doesn't dare breathe. Taehyung is sitting in front of him, eyes squeezed shut.
"I want to know," Taehyung says, and there is a strange tremour to his voice like he's trying to hold back tears, "I want to know what you look like without my eyes."
Jungkook swallows. "Hyung."
Taehyung's lips quirk up into a smile. He lifts his hand up to hover beside Jungkook's face. "Can I?"
Jungkook nods, then mentally shakes himself. "Anything, hyung."
Taehyung's hands, those long fingers settle on Jungkook's face. And for a moment, with Jungkook holding his breath, they are both still. Then Taehyung gently runs his hands over Jungkook's face, exploring and memorizing. Jungkook closes his eyes, relishing the feel of Taehyung's warm fingers as they trace over his brow, the bridge of his nose and over his lips. His eyes shall open when he feels lips pressing against his'. Taehyung's eyes are open and he is watching him unblinkingly.
"I wanted to know what you look like when I kiss you."
Jungkook can't seem to catch his breath at all. "What do I look like, hyung?"
Taehyung smiles. "Like something I'll never forget."
It is Jimin who finds Taehyung on the day he completely loses his sight. He'd goes to wake him up for breakfast and had finds him curled up on his bed, crying quietly.
"Tae! Taehyung, what's wrong?" Jimin cries, sitting down on the bed beside Taehyung. Taehyung has his hands fisted over his eyes, his whole body shaking as he cries.
"Hey, what's wrong?" Jimin pulls at Taehyung's shoulders, suddenly afraid. "Taehyung, tell me!"
Taehyung turns, hands reaching for Jimin. "Everything is dark. I can't see."
For a breathless moment Jimin can only stare, it feels as though time has stopped by the force of his fear.
"Jin hyung!" He yells, as loud as he can. "Hyung, help!"
Everyone comes running, even Yoongi who looks as though he just dragged himself out of bed.
They pause at the door and Jimin looks down at Taehyung in tears on his lap, and up at them, at Jin looking at him with wide eyes.
"Taehyung can't see," he whispers, tears running down his face. "Can you- please help him, hyung."
Hoseok collapses by the door, his knees giving out.
Jin makes a sound like he's in pain and shuffles to the bed.
"Taehyung, it's okay," Jin whispers. Taehyung shifts at the sound of his voice.
"Hyung-" Taehyung chokes out. Jin climbs on to the bed and wraps Taehyung in his arms.
"We're here. It's okay." Jin buries his face in Taehyung's hair. "It's okay."
"Hyung, I don't think I'm brave enough," Taehyung whispers. "I'm not brave enough to let you go, so-"Taehyung's breath hitches and he teaches out with a hand hesitantly. Hoseok catches it immediately. "-so you should do it."
Hoseok swallows. Words seem to have gotten stuck in his throat. "Don't be stupid, Taehyung."
Taehyung holds on to his hand with both of his hands. "Hyung, you've had this dream for all of your life. You can't give it up."
Hoseok tries to laugh. It really doesn't help that his eyes are filled with tears. Damn it! Since when did he start crying like this?
"Are you telling me what to do, punk?"
Taehyung shakes his head. "If you give up your dream because of me, you'll hate me, hyung."
Hoseok exhales, tilting his face up and tries to blink the tears out of his eyes. When he looks back down, Taehyung is sitting so still, whole body turned towards him. He looks like he's waiting for a blow. Taehyung looks afraid. For a moment fear burns in Hoseok's heart. How could Taehyung think he will ever let him go?
He reaches up with his free hand, and lets his knuckles graze gently against Taehyung's cheek. Taehyung shivers, tensing for a moment before turning his face into Hoseok's hand.
"Will you come visit me sometimes, hyung?"
He cradles Taehyung's face with his hand. "If I give you up because of my dream, I'll hate myself more, Taehyung." He leans in and presses his lips to Taehyung's forehead. "There is more than one way to reach that dream. But I'll only get one chance with you."
"Hyung-"
"I love you," he says softly, something he's never said to Taehyung before. Just for a moment he wonders if he dared to say the words because Taehyung cannot see him. But he dismisses the thought immediately. He's always loved Taehyung, does it matter if he never actually told him that? "I love you and I'm not giving you up."
"Are you scared?" Jimin asks softly, fingers sifting through Taehyung's longish hair as they sit on the couch with the TV on in the background. Taehyung is lying in Jimin's lap, eyes closed. He almost looks as though he's asleep. But Jimin knows he's not. His breathing is not even at all.
Taehyung's eyes open a sliver and Jimin's hand pauses in his hair.
"Yeah."
Jimin feels his breath catch. "Don't be," he whispers. "Don't be scared, Taehyung."
Taehyung curls into him, a hand gripping at his shirt and holding in tight. "I won't have anything. I won't-be anything now."
Jimin folds himself over Taehyung. "You'll have us," Jimin promises. "Whatever happens, you'll never lose us." He presses his lips to Taehyung's cheek. "Remember in school you promised to stay with me forever?" Jimin pulls back and looks at Taehyung. They've come a long way from that first time when Taehyung had sat down next to Jimin because he had been eating lunch alone. But they've still got a long way to go. "I'm going to stay with you forever. You'll never lose me."
Taehyung tries to smile. But his eyes are filled with tears and he starts to cry instead. "Ah you cry baby," Jimin complains, even if his own eyes are filled with tears too. He folds Taehyung close and holds him until he stops crying. Then until he falls asleep.
They still try to be discreet when they go out. Of course, things are not as crazy as they were when they were officially BTS, but people still recognize them. And that's okay, it's nice to know that they are not forgotten.
Taehyung hasn't been out of the house in a while so Hoseok suggests that they go out to get ice cream, it's a really hot summers day after all. It being Sunday, everyone is home, and the way Taehyung's face lights up with a smile, no one would say no.
Jin pulls Taehyung's favorite snapback over his head, Taehyung chuckling happily as they head outside. Jin's got his hand firmly held in his'. And Yoongi's on his other side, walking close enough to let Taehyung know that he's there.
The shop isn't far, barely a five minute walk. They're half way there when they hear the screams.
"Oppa!"
"Taehyung oppa!" The girls immediately converge on Taehyung, who has not been seen in public since that time when he broke his wrist. Taehyung is smiling, and Yoongi thinks it's okay. This is good. It'll be good for Taehyung to know that the fans still love him. But he keeps an eye on him anyway and he sees the moment when that bright smile fades, and the shoulders tense and Taehyung tries to back away.
"Taehyung!" Jin cries as Taehyung is pulled away from him and Yoongi's about to backhand a few people, fuck the news, when Taehyung stumbles away from them and runs.
"Taehyung, stop!" Yoongi shouts, chasing after him. He's heading straight for the road. Yoongi wills his legs to move faster and hears the others running behind him.
"Hyung!" Jungkook yells, and Yoongi is not surprised when Jungkook overtakes him, longer legs taking him closer and closer to Taehyung. And a good thing too because Taehyung trips, and is falling when Jungkook gets to him in time to pull him back.
Jungkook's got Taehyung wrapped up in his arms when Yoongi gets there. Taehyung is shaking and Yoongi is sure he's crying too even if he cannot see Taehyung's face.
"It's okay, hyung," Jungkook whispers, hands gripped in Taehyung's shirt as if he has no intention to ever let go. "You're safe, it's okay."
Jin wraps himself around them with a cry. Both boys turn to him, letting Jin hold them close. Yoongi runs a hand through his hair.
"Fuck," he swears.
"Let's go home," Namjoon says after a long moment.
Taehyung lifts his face. He is crying, face wet with tears. "I'm sorry," he whispers. "I'm sorry, I ruined everything."
Yoongi snaps his mouth shut so that he doesn't start yelling.
"That's not true, Taehyung ah," Hoseok says, petting down Taehyung's hair, "nothing is ruined."
What do you do when someone you love is hurting? It's a sort of helplessness that can destroy you.
Namjoon knows this. Because he's felt it. He feels it every day now, every time he sees Taehyung, every moment his mind takes him back to how things used to be. When he helplessly thinks about how things could have been, all those lost futures haunt him at night.
Is it fair that he had to give up everything he'd worked so hard for?
Is it fair that for the sake of one person, they've all lost their dreams?
Is Taehyung really worth everything?
He never dares speak his thoughts out loud. And he wonders sometimes if the others are feeling the same. But he sees the way Jin cares for Taehyung, his single minded devotion, the way Jimin keeps his eyes on him at all times, the way Jungkook smiles when Taehyung is there even when Taehyung cannot see it, and the way Yoongi had yelled at the doctors and broken down on the front steps of the hospital afterwards. And Hoseok who loves to play hide and seek with Taehyung, and makes Taehyung laugh louder than ever when he tickles him down to the floor by the end.
Namjoon thinks maybe it's just him, maybe he's the only selfish one here.
He doesn't know if he has the courage to wake up every day to see Taehyung search for him with blind eyes.
He thinks it will destroy him.
But he'll grit his teeth and plant his feet. He's never been a coward.
Kim Namjoon knows where his heart is.
Namjoon brings home a brail for beginners book. Jin and Jungkook sit with him every day and help him learn. Taehyung, whose always been someone who relied on touch, picks it up incredibly quickly. Then Hoseok finds a brail labeling gadget and they start leaving messages for Taehyung all over the house.
Namjoon watches Taehyung. He is sitting cross legged on the couch, a book, thin, probably a fairy tale, spread open in his lap. Taehyung's fingers are slowly tracing over the words. Currently he's paused on one word, a frown on his face. Namjoon shifts and Taehyung's head snaps up.
"Is it hard, Taehyungie?" He asks, dropping down on to the couch beside Taehyung. Taehyung is reading the Lion King.
Taehyung grins. "It's a really big word, hyung. I can't get it yet."
"Let me see," Namjoon offers, tracing a finger over the word.
S-A-C-
Namjoon frowns. It is a hard word.
Namjoon swallows.
"Sacrifice," he whispers, "the word is sacrifice."
"Ah." Taehyung runs his finger over the word. "Sacrifice."
It is a big word.
"Why, hyung?" Taehyung asks, turning to him. "Why does the king have to make this sacrifice?"
"Because he loves his son. He can't even think about doing anything else."
Taehyung shakes his head. "If the king lives, everyone will be happier. The son isn't so important, hyung."
"Even if the son isn't important for anyone else, he is the most important to the king." Namjoon traces his fingers over Taehyung's wrist, running over the warm palm and across the long fingers. "It is a sacrifice he'll never regret."
Taehyung's fingers twitch and his other hand finds its way up to Namjoon's face, brushing over the tear tracks. Taehyung stills and for a moment Namjoon watches Taehyung breathe, chest rising and falling, gaze fixed somewhere over Namjoon's right shoulder.
"He never got to say thank you," Taehyung says softly, leaning his head on Namjoon's chest.
Namjoon threads a hand in Taehyung's hair and tries to keep his voice even when he says, "he never needed to. He doesn't need to."
Taehyung sighs, shifting closer and the book nearly falls off his lap. Namjoon catches it, settling it on the armrest, before wrapping both arms around Taehyung.
"Thank you, hyung."
Taehyung smiles brighter than anyone he's ever known. Like the world isn't a bitch. Like it wouldn't hesitate for a moment before pulling them down and stepping in them. The world is shit but Taehyung smiles anyways. Even now, even with everything that has happened, even then Taehyung keeps smiling like he didn't lose everything.
But it's the days when he doesn't, when that smile doesn't come at all, those are the worst.
Jungkook hates those days. Because they remind him how hard Taehyung works on all those other days to keep himself afloat.
They're watching Running man, sound on high that Taehyung hears everything and Hoseok proving a running commentary. He's just describing Lee Kwangsoo emerging from a mud wrestle, looking like some prehistoric monster, when Taehyung shoots to his feet.
"I'm going to sleep," he tells them, before heading for the rooms, slowly and carefully but with the confidence of someone who'd done it many times before without any mishaps.
Worried silence falls for a moment, only broken by the advertisements on the TV. Then Jin shifts, about to head after Taehyung but Jungkook is faster.
He climbs to his feet. "I'll go, hyung," he tells Jin, who looks surprised for a moment. But then he nods.
"Take care of him, Jungkook ah."
When he reaches the bedroom, he pushes the door open quietly and sees Taehyung standing by the bed, his back to Jungkook. His shoulders look so thin under the white t shirt he's wearing. Despite Jin's efforts to continuously feed Taehyung delicious and copius amounts of food, Taehyung has lost a lot of weight since he lost his sight. It makes Jungkook worry, to the point that on some nights he lies awake in bed trying to think of ways to save Taehyung.
"Hyung," he says, stepping into the room. Taehyung's shoulders hunch forward and he wipes at his face with a hand.
Jungkook feels his heart twist painfully.
He steps forward and wraps his arms around Taehyung's waist, leaning his forehead against Taehyung's thin shoulders.
"Hyung, why are you crying?"
Taehyung's hands come to rest on top of Jungkook's.
"I don't know," Taehyung says softly, voice heavy with tears. "I don't even know."
Jungkook presses his lips to the skin of Taehyung's neck.
"Okay. It's okay," Jungkook promises and hopes that Taehyung believes him.
They fall asleep together, well Taehyung does. Jungkook sifts his fingers through Taehyung's soft hair and tries to think of ways to make him happy.
"Hyung, are you here?"
Jin, who'd been peeling an onion, looks up. Taehyung is there at the threshold to the kitchen, face uncertain.
"I'm here, Taehyung ah," he says, puts the onion on the counter and walks over. They're the only ones at home, even Jungkook who doesn't have to go to university on most days, has left for an exam which he has to attend.
Taehyung's face relaxes.
"I'm cooking something delicious for lunch," he says, wrapping a hand around Taehyung's wrist and drawing him towards the table.
Taehyung smiles. "I'm not hungry yet, hyung."
Jin kisses his hair. "But you know you're going to be."
Taehyung's smile widens and he nods.
Jin gets back to cooking as Taehyung sits at the table and starts to read the book he had brought with him.
Jin is cutting up the carrots when Taehyung speaks again.
"Hyung, do you know what I wanted to be when I was little?"
"What did you want to be?" Jin asks, curious.
Taehyung lifts his face, smile bright on his face.
"A zoo keeper!" Taehyung laughs. "I wanted to look after the monkeys."
Jin looks over his shoulder and sees that the book is about animals.
"I'm glad you didn't become a zoo keeper, Taehyung ah," Jin tells him, making sure that the stove heat is on low, and comes over to ruffle Taehyung's hair. "Otherwise I wouldn't have met you."
The laughter fades from Taehyung's face.
"Would you mind so much hyung, not meeting me?"
Jin stills, and for a moment stares down at Taehyung in surprise.
Then he kneels in front of Taehyung, hands reaching up to cradle his face.
"I would mind, Taehyung. I would mind, more than anything."
Taehyung drops his head so that their foreheads touch.
"I love you more than I love the monkeys, hyung."
Jin laughs, sniffing tearfully.
"I love you more than monkeys too, Taehyungie."
They get the call early morning. Namjoon picks up. The moment the word 'doctor' comes from his lips, everything stops, everyone's attention firmly fixed on Namjoon.
When the call ends, Namjoon pauses for a moment, looking stunned.
"Namjoon?" Jin prompts.
Namjoon turns his wide eyes towards them.
"Donor," he says, "they found a donor for Taehyung."
Hoseok drops the cup of water in his hands and the plastic cup clatters on the ground.
Yoongi drops bonelessly on to the chair at the kitchen table.
Jimin starts to cry.
Jin staggers in relief and shock and holds tightly onto Namjoon who reaches for him.
Taehyung and Jungkook find them like that a moment later.
"What's going on?" Jungkook asks, looking between them both. Taehyung frowns, catching on to the worry in Jungkook's voice.
Jin laughs and rushes over to hug them both.
"Everything is going to be just fine."
Taehyung lifts a hand to Jin's face, fingers trailing down his cheek.
"Hyung, why are you crying?"
Jin catches Taehyung's hand and holds it to his face.
"I'm not crying because I'm sad, Taehyung ah," Jin promises, "today is the happiest day of my life."
Jungkook tilts his head questioningly.
Jin smiles.
"They found a donor. Taehyung ah, you're going to see again."
Jungkook has fallen asleep, leaning his head on his hands folded on the side of the bed. He'd tried to stay awake but after staying awake during the surgery, he has finally fallen into an exhausted sleep. Jimin is sitting beside him, gaze fixed on Taehyung, who has yet to wake up. Namjoon is sitting on one of the chairs, leaning his head on the wall, his eyes are closed but maybe he's not asleep. Yoongi and Hoseok are standing either side of the bed, watchful guardians. Jin holds Taehyung's hand, the one that is not attached to the saline drip, in both of his' and waits for his brother to wake up.
Management tells them they can come back, that Taehyung's story will make a good base for a comeback. That they still have enough fans to become strong again. Taehyung sits through the meeting, head lowered until the end and Namjoon says that they will make a decision together.
When they're finally alone, everyone is quiet for a long moment.
Then Hoseok speaks.
"I don’t really think it's up to the rest of us-" he turns to Taehyung "-Taehyungie, what do you want to do?"
Taehyung finally lifts his head, looking around at them all with his new eyes.
"I know you all-" Taehyung takes a breath "-I know everyone made so many sacrifices for me. I know you gave up your dreams, I made you sad. I'm sorry, I'm really sorry."
"Taehyung ah," Jin whispers, reaching out and Taehyung catches his hand like a lifeline.
"Taehyung," Namjoon says, "Taehyung, don't ever feel sorry for that. All of us, every single one of us loves you more than anything else, it was never a hardship to choose you. Never. You were the one going through a hard time, all we wanted to do was to make it easier."
Taehyung sniffs tearfully and Jimin wraps his arms around his shoulders and kisses his hair.
"So you can do whatever you want to do, hyung," Jungkook says, smiling.
"Anything?" Taehyung asks hesitantly.
"Anything, Taehyung ah," Jin promises.
"When I couldn't see, when I thought I'd never see again, I realised there were so many things I want to see. So many things I haven't seen yet," Taehyung smiles softly. "I want to see them, hyung. Now that I have a second chance, I want to see everything."
Yoongi nods. "Whatever you want, Taehyung. Whatever you want to do, wherever you want to go."
Taehyung's eyes widen. "Really hyung? You'll come with me?"
"After all this, do you really think it can be any other way?"
Taehyung laughs. "Hyung, I want to see the polar bears!"
Amidst the laughter, Yoongi shrugs at Namjoon and Jin, both of whom shrug back.
"Alright, polar bears it is."
It feels like they all have new eyes too. And they feel the wonder of everything as Taehyung rediscovers the world. It is the sweetest feeling, this feeling of being whole again, feels as though they can breathe for the first time in a long time. Life is good. Actually, any one of them would tell you that it has never been better.
Dreams can change, dreams might not follow the straightest road, and they might not end up being what you thought they'd be at the start. But dreams can be people too. Dreams can be feelings. And sometimes, many people share a dream, a person or a feeling. In the end, it all depends on what it's worth, this dream, this person, this feeling, against everything.
Against anything.
These dreams that endure, they are unbreakable.
Taehyung's first sunset since his new eyes. They watch as he watches the sky change colour, transfixed by the beauty. As the last sliver of the sun disappears beyond the ocean, Taehyung turns to them.
"You're still prettier than the sunset, hyung," he says, smiling at Jin.
Jin laughs and wraps an arm around Taehyung's shoulders, the others crowding around them happily.
Taehyung sighs softly.
"Thank you for not letting me go."
For a moment, they stay quiet, thankful for this moment that may never have come.
Then Hoseok and Jimin reach over to tickle Taehyung, who collapses to the ground in Jungkook's arms in a laughing heap.
Namjoon throws his arms over Yoongi and Jin.
"We're best when we're together."
***