#deereturns

{Dee returns!!! Taehyung and Jimin get separated from the others in an airport.}

Taehyung rubbed his eyes tiredly as he followed Jungkook off of the plane. The second youngest member of BTS had been dealing with a miserably stuffy head cold for the last 2 days. The others were tired and aggravated with him, which added to his misery. Well, they weren’t exactly mad at him… Just his sneezes. 

“If they weren’t all completely drained from the massive stream of interviews, recordings and filming the new music videos,” Namjoon had told him when Tae had complained, “the other members would be more sympathetic.” But they were drained, and as far from sympathetic as they possibly could be.

Taehyung sighed and scrubbed at his nose. He was as tired as the others! ‘Probably more than they are!’ his hurt feeling argued. But even Jungkook, who could usually be counted on to at give at least physical comfort had refused to cuddle up or lay down with him in the wide seats of the private plane, opting to nap alone and putting in ear plug to block out Taehyung’s sonic boom of a sneeze.

The rational part of Tae’s brain understood their desire not to catch his cold, but it still stung to be rejected 6 times in succession. Jimin was bringing up the rear behind him, and was fiddling with his carry-on bag. Taehyung made a face at him that Jimin didn’t even notice. He looked back up tiredly to try to keep up with Jungkook. Suddenly as the Black hoodied figure in front of Taehyung turned, he realized in horror that it wasn’t their Maknae that they had been following. They had been separated from the other members.

Tae spun on his heel, “Jimbidnie-hyug! Cadn you see Kookie or the other hyugs? I thigk we’re lost!” Jimin looked up, rolling his eyes at his typically over-dramatic best friend. He raised his head, clearly expecting to immediately point at their group and scold Taehyung for his inattention. The words of scorn never came out as Jimin’s dark eyes scanned the crowd. Jimin’s head whipped around to stare at Tae, panicked and angry.

“Weren’t you just behind Kookie?!?” Jimin demanded, his voice rising in pitch.

“I thought I was!” Tae cried, upset with himself and Jimin for automatically blaming him for this mix up. Jimin glared at him and pulled out his phone, dialing quickly,

“Their phones are all off or they go to voicemail!” Jimin said after a minute’s time. 

“They probably still have themb on airpladne mbode.” Tae sniffled. Jimin swore under his breath. Taehyung felt his nose prickle and he pitched forward with a terrific “HAESHHH!!!” The deafening sound drew the attention of several passersby. Jimin, already stressed and anxious, jumped and cursed,

“Damnit Taehyung! You are going to attract attention to us!” Jimin said irately.

“I cadn’t help idt! I’mb sigk…” Tae whined, “Dodn’t be so mbean!” Jimin’s eyes darted from left to right quickly,

“Tae! Shut up!” The older man whispered urgently, his hand shushing Taehyung. His eyes were wide and nervous. Taehyung was angry and didn’t care anymore. 

“D’No! You adnd the others have beedn horrible to mbe all day today! I’ve had it!” Tae began to cry, emotionally exhausted. Jimin growled in frustration, grabbing Taehyung’s hand and pulling him into an alcove. He clamped his hand over the younger man’s mouth.

“Shhh!” Jimin hissed a warning, “Someone’s following us.” 

Tae squirmed uncomfortably. Jimin’s fingers had accidentally brushed against his sensitized, chapped nostrils, Tae tried to warn his hyung, but Jimin’s hand was muffling the sound of his words.

“UTSCHHMF!!”

“UGH! That was disgusting!” Jimin whisper-yelled.

“OPPA?!”

“TAEHYUNGIE-OPPA?”

“WHERE ARE YOU JIMINIE-OPPA?”

Jimin swore again and dragged Taehyung into a nearby supply closet. Taehyung wriggled out of Jimin’s grasp.

“What the hell, Hyug?” Jimin shushed him again,

“There are sasaengs out there, dummy! If you don;t shut up, they will find us. We have no bodyguards, no managers, no hyungs; so for both our sakes: Be quiet!” 

Taehyung frowned and bit back a retort just as he heard several pairs of rapidly running feet pass by their hiding place. He sniffled and rubbed his nose again. Ugh… It was so itchy all of a sudden. It was too dark for him to see Jimin beside him. They were in a very small space… He could tell that much. Jimin was small but this was not a space made for people obviously. Taehyung lit up his phone’s screen. They seemed to be in a janitor’s closet. It was messy and crammed with hanging dust mops, vacuum cleaners, and feather dusters. Taehyung was pressed up against the racks that held the cleaning tools. 

“Uhmb… Jimbidn?” He started, nervously.

Jimin, his ear pressed to the door, didn’t even look at Tae. He gave him a small shove to try to silence him. Taehyung, unprepared for the sudden assault, went face first into a set of hanging feather dusters. Taehyung inhaled in surprise and immediately realized his mistake. His nose was tag-teamed by soft ticklish feathers and the dust they were coated with.

“Hhh-Hyug! Help!” He gasped in a whisper. Jimin looked up at him finally and then their surroundings…

“Oh shit…”

Taehyung whimpered, his nose itching wildly. Jimin, unable to think, spun Taehyung towards him and pressed Taehyung’s face into his own sweatered chest. Taehyung hitched as quietly as possible before he wasn’t able to hold the allergic cold sneezes off any longer. The sweater muffled most of the sounds at first.

“RhhhSHH! SHH! ISSH! ESSHH! RHSSHH! UTSCHMF! GHSSHHMF!”

Jimin held Taehyung’s face against his chest tightly, praying that Tae would be able to stop soon. His sweater was wet with allergic tears and other more gooey fluids. He cringed but cuddled Taehyung to him desperately anyway.

Taehyung sneezed viciously, his sinuses burning. 

“UHSCCHhh! ISSHHhh! UH-UH SHHHUH! UH-SCHAH!!! RAESSH!” The sneezes were building in volume and Jimin was petrified that they would be found. He could swear he heard voices but with Tae sneezing he couldn’t tell. He could only pray and hold onto Tae. Suddenly the door they were leaning against opened and they fell out into the terminal. 

Namjoon and Jungkook looked down at them with astonished eyes. 

“What the heck were you two doing in a closet? We thought we’d lost you!” The leader asked, looking them over. 

Jimin laughed in relief, “It’s a long story…”

Tempting fate. I can’t keep myself from writing anymore. I might hate myself later, but whatever. Request fulfillment for @moonjoonlanding , I’m so sorry that it took this long. Fever and sore throat with fireside cuddles and cider. Seokjin needs to channel his inner maknae and learn to accept a little TLC from Jimin.

Quality Time:

Seokjin sniffled for the hundredth time that day, despite the scolding hint of a sore throat that warned him to simply blow his nose and get it over with. He fought the urge to give in to his exhausted body. He knew deep down that he was getting sick, but he had too much to do. He couldn’t just keep putting things off. With a soft sigh, he pulled into the grocery store’s parking lot. 

The wind was whipping around him as he got out of the car, pushing him off balance in strong gusts. He shuddered, 

“Ugh… it’s freezing out here!” He hurried into the store. Inside it didn’t feel much warmer but at least the wind was held at bay. He spent about an hour trying to piece together simple ingredients for quick meals. Even if he couldn’t cook because he didn’t want the others getting sick, none of the younger members would starve in the meantime.

He finally passed by the checkout area when he saw liter-sized jugs of apple cider on a display. Seokjin debated internally for a moment before adding it to his filled cart. He felt his nose twitch and he sighed, “N-not ahhhgain…” he sniffled, trying to quell the tickle that flooded his nose in mucus. His breath caught in his throat and he bit back a groan of discomfort as the pain flared up once more. His eyes slammed shut as he pitched to one side, releasing a wet sneeze into his sweater sleeve. “hh-Phsshhhuuh!” Seokjin cringed as he looked at the wet spot on his sweater. 

“Ugh, now my head hurts.” he said to himself. The sudden sneeze made him feel unsteady and the persistent ache in his throat felt like it was slowly sucking the remaining energy from his body. He quickly paid for the groceries and headed outside. He shivered as the cold air swirled around him and hurried to load the groceries into the car.

About 20 minutes later, Seokjin opened the front door and stumbled inside carrying several bags. Jimin had been relaxing on the couch and jumped to his feet. A warm fire popped and crackled in the fireplace, giving the living room warmth and a comfortable glow.

“Hyung?!? What the heck?! Did you buy the whole store? Let me help you!” Seokjin shook his head and tried to warn Jimin away. His nose was itching again, he couldn’t use his hands or arms to catch the sneeze that was coming and Jimin was standing directly in the line of fire.

“Jihh-bminah… W-wait, I... Hih’TSSHUH! Pshhuh!” Seokjin turned his head but, it was a bit too late. Jimin’s hoodie was misted with the aftermath of the sudden explosive double. Jimin paid no attention to his clothes, instead his sympathetic eyes looked up into the older man’s face. 

“Hyung, those didn’t sound good.” the shorter man frowned, concern etched into his forehead and mouth. 

“I’b… I’b alright. Don't worry so mbuch…” Seokjin flushed with embarrassment, “I’b sorry for sdneezing on you.” he sniffled wetly and tried to push past Jimin and into the kitchen. 

Jimin put his small hands on the taller man’s chest, keeping him in place. “Let me help you, I said! Sheesh! You are so stubborn sometimes.” Jimin tugged at the bags in Seokjin’s hands until he relented and gave them up.

Jimin smiled, seeing that he had won this contest of willpower. He brought the groceries into the kitchen and began unpacking the bags. Seokjin followed, feeling like he should be doing something other than simply standing there. He began to fill the fridge with meat and vegetables as Jimin put away the rice and snacks. He shivered in his sweater and sniffled again. Jimin kept glancing over with each sniffle, becoming more and more concerned. 

Seokjin was still putting the food away, crouching in front of the fridge, when a delicate pale, hand pushed aside his bangs and gently pressed against his forehead. The older man heard the Jimin gasp in surprise.

“Oh, Hyung… You’ve got a fever.”

“Wh-what? Dno! I…I’mb just tired.” The older vocalist protested. Jimin smacked him lightly on the shoulder. 

“Don’t be so stubborn, Hyungie… Let me take care of the rest of this. You should go sit down in the living room. I’ll follow you in a few minutes. Go warm up by the fire, you’re shaking like a leaf.” 

Seokjin stood with a sigh, sniffling and rubbing his nose on his cuff. “I don’t mind helping though, I can...!” He winced, as his throat stung brutally, cutting off his words.

Jimin flinched out of sympathy. “Please! Go sit down. I will make you something hot to drink.”

Seokjin, feeling burnt out, obeyed. He sat on the loveseat beside the fire and held his cold hands out towards the cheery fire, soaking up the warmth. 

True to his word, Jimin came from the kitchen holding two steaming mugs shortly afterwards. He smiled at Seokjin and passed him a cup. The older man shivered as the heat from the cup and the fire as it slowly broke through the chill in his body. He couldn’t smell what the cup held, but the mug felt so good to hold.

Jimin giggled softly. Seokjin was always so composed and independent that he never really allowed the other members to coddle him. This version of Seokjin was sweet, pathetic, and adorably rumpled. His hair was sticking to his damp forehead, his already pink nose was scrunching up with every sniffle, and his lips were slightly pouty. 

“Ohhh~ Cute~!” Jimin breathed, feeling soft and wanting to cuddle his eldest Hyung. He blushed as Seokjin frowned and looked at him defiantly,

“What’s cute?! Where?” The older man stuck out his chin mulishly. Jimin sputtered, unable to hold back his giggles, 

“Pfft… Hyung, you’re too cute this way! I can’t take it.” Jimin took a sherpa throw blanket off of the nearby ottoman and wrapped it around Seokjin. “There. Feeling warmer now?” 

Seokjin sipped at the contents of his mug. Jimin had warmed the apple cider he had bought and added a little spice. Seokjin felt his lips curve into a pleased smile and nodded in response. Jimin sat beside him and they sat in comfortable silence, watching the logs crackle and pop in the orange flames. 

This is not a fic, this is just a quick note about my health so skip from here if you don't want a bit of whining.

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I got the results. I have a severely herniated disc in my lower neck. I may need 1-2 surgeries on my neck which I am still waiting to have scheduled. They are *now* trying to get things done asap, since so much damage has happened since my symptoms started in October. 🙄 (Gee... imagine that...)

If you are religious, please say a quick prayer for me if you think of it. If you aren't, cross your fingers and think positive thoughts for me. You are each so special to me in you own way.

I love you all,

This is answering a request for @keefthebeachboy who wanted some Tae-mayhem. “This cold doesn’t seem to want to leave my throat, it’s so swollen I can barely talk.” My brain immediately clung to the trauma during Bring the Soul. 

Spoiler Alert: During The Truth Untold performance (I believe in France) Taehyung lost his voice and ARMY finished for him. I am not a Tae fan but this part made me cry in the theatre and most of the way home. (https://youtu.be/JMYQ5OLxCTc) 

The Truth Unsung

The cheers were deafening. Taehyung and the other members could hear ARMY’s excitement from backstage. They were all exhausted from a gruelling tour and each of them found that this was taking a massive toll on their bodies. Especially Taehyung, who was currently white as a sheet under his makeup. He was more nervous about this performance than he had been in a long time. He wasn’t sure that he had another song in him. 

He had tried so hard...only to be disappointed. Taehyung had tried everything. Hot tea with Lemon and Honey, cough drops that dulled the ache in his throat, (until he could taste nothing but cough drops) throat sprays, and nothing was getting the virus to budge. He hadn’t sung for the last two rehearsals to try to save his voice for the actual performance. His voice had cracked just during the warm up. This was not good.

It was one of the last tours in Europe and Taehyung had started to feel off a few days ago. It had started with a tickle in his throat that he just couldn’t get rid of. His nose ran constantly, making post nasal drip run down his throat, until he woke up on the third morning with a squeaky voice and a miserable cough. 

He muted his mic and coughed drily, bending at the waist. This was insane. How could he possibly sing like this. Suddenly he felt a hand on his shoulder. Namjoon stood behind him, rubbing his upper back until the coughs finally subsided. 

“Are you going to be able to make it, Taehyungie?” the leader asked, his black-brown eyes sympathetic and concerned. 

Taehyung tried his best actor smile. It was a bit shaky, as Namjoon had unwittingly echoed aloud the fear that made his heart pound and his nerves fizzle with anxiety. He cleared his throat.

 “Thi.. -A-Hem!- This cold doesn’t seem to want to leave my throat, Hyung. It’s so swollen I can barely talk.” he admitted.

RM frowned, “Still?” he asked, surprised. “I knew you were bad yesterday, but I thought it was better today… You should have told me sooner, Taehyungah.”

Taehyung smiled ironically, “There’s nothing that Jiminie-hyungie and Seokjinie-hyung didn’t try already.” He mumbled, trying not to over use his voice. The back of one of Rapmon’s large, clumsy hands found its way to the vocalist’s forehead and pressed gently onto it. 

“You are definitely warm, but it could be the stage lights. Please, try not to strain yourself. Should I talk to Gukie and see if he can sing your part?” Taehyung shook his head and continued to shake it, as RM continued, “You’re sure?”

Taehyung would do what he had do. Right now that meant going on stage with one last song for ARMY. It was a love ballad, and his vocal part set the mood for the whole song. He would do this for them. They had shown up in the tens of thousands. They wanted to see him... And he knew that for some of them, this would be the first, or maybe even the last time they might be able to see BTS in concert. With this pressure and motivation, he took his position on his platform beside Jimin.

The music started with a soft piano.  He cleared his throat and winced as he swallowed painfully.

“Oeroumi gadeukhi, Pieoissneun i garden... Gasitu…” His voice was scratchy and hoarse and within moments had faded to a pained whisper. He felt tears form in his eyes as he failed to sing the rest of his line.

ARMY cried out in sympathy and he felt the emotion of each voice strike him as if he had taken a physical blow. He had let them all down. His family, his Hyungs and Kookie, and all the ARMY that had come so far to see them. 

Suddenly, like a wave crashing over him, he heard ARMY sing:

“I moraeseonge nan nal maeeosseo” They were singing for him. He felt tears roll down his face. He heard them all screaming out his parts, singing them with the others. He touched his throat and let his mic hand just hang by his side. He mouthed the words silently: 

“Nan duryeoun geol

Cholahae, I’m so afraid

Gyeolgugen neodo nal tto tteonabeorilkka

Tto gamyeoneul sseugo neol mannareo ga”

ARMY sang his parts through the entire song. He bowed with the others after the song and the stadium shook with ARMY’s voice: “KIM TAEHYUNG! KIM TAEHYUNG!” He waved gratefully to them as they descended from the platform. 

He said a hoarse farewell to them as they closed out the concert, feeling small and inadequate. Taehyung, who was his own worst critic, felt that he had given the worst performance of his entire career. How disappointed ARMY must be...

Backstage, the other members converged on him, not permitting him even a moment of reflection on the horrible performance. Jimin’s small arms wrapped around him from behind and he swiped at his face as tears rolled down his cheeks, Jungkook wrapped him in a tight hug from the front and let Taehyung’s silent sobs and tears by absorbed by his performance shirt. The others murmured sympathies and reassurances, ruffling his sweaty hair and rubbing his back as the sobs turned into hoarse, ragged coughing. He felt like his vocal chords were being shredded. 

“It’s okay… You worked hard.” Rapmon’s deep voice said gently. “Let’s get you back to the hotel. You should rest as much as you can.”