Work Text:
blood was rushing through his veins. the air smelled dry of vastness and the bitter taste of adrenaline laid on his tongue. the sunshine was so bright, it nearly washed out the barren landscape.
the sky never looked as blue as right now.
there was genuine, real warmth prickling his skin and it felt - amazing.
he almost stumbled, the terrain was rocky at best and it felt endless. no walls, no reflections, just the harshness of nature. there was a strong pull at the sleeve of his jacket - the red one, a present he bought himself from his initation money - and then he was running again. the rhythmic panting together with sturdy shoes began to fade out in the background. dizziness settled over him like a blanket, slowly, he could feel the adrenaline fading out, leaving him with the feeling of pain in his legs and his ribcage tightening over his lungs. the men in black were near, he could feel their ominous presence crawling into the neckline of his shirt, crawling under his skin. they were never a good omen, his parents had said, but he never understood until that incident. if they got him everything he fought for, every drop of blood, sweat and tears would be in waste. eyes shut tight, he fought against the images playing behind his eyelids, of an ivory dome distorting the sky, of sunshine never quite reaching his skin, not burning the layer of paleness as it was supposed to.
his breathing was haggard, his heart drumming against his chest, his vision blurring against the vast drop of desertedness.
he allowed himself to look to his sides, and there they were - six other boys, his six brothers-in-arms running wherever their feet may bring them. they too were exhausted, but their eyes were set as if the never-ending horizon had something to offer to them if they only got close enough. it did not feel like they were escaping the cage that was s82, but welcoming something he thought he always had: freedom.
and suddenly he felt so lucky, to have found brothers in these boys. seven boys who couldn't be more different, but came together because they saw the bad where justice was supposed to rule. they'd woken up from this haze-like dream, and like eating an apple, they were thrown into consequences that was reality.
he did not know what he would have done without these boys who practically raised him on his back. would he have still mourned over the loss of parents? or would he forget them, forget the bond that was between them like the women in white would teach him, to be a fitting part of the well-oiled machine.
and then he glimpsed it from the corner of his eye; it was taehyung grinning his typical grin with the whites of his teeth showing. he could hear jimin's high-pitched laughter.
there it was before a yard before them, a pit with no bottom in sight, he could barely make out the other side of the canyon.
a laugh bubbled up his throat, freeing, in the corners of his eyes he could feel wetness brimming. they were still running, running towards the end, no one had the intention to stop, they ran too far for that.
he took a deep breath and jumped.