I squint my eyes at the screen in front of me, the brightness of it stinging my tired eyes. Groaning, I lean back in my chair, the cable to my headphones pulling tight as they reach their limit. I sit back forward, turning the volume of the song up, listening for anything in the beat that I may need to change.

Rubbing my eyes, I will myself to stay awake.

I have work to do, I can't just fall aslee-

The power cuts out, the room around me descending into darkness. Rain splatters against the windows, the wind howling through the trees as a frustrated sigh slips from me.

"What the fuck," I mumble quietly, my hands running across the desk in front of me in search of my phone. I bump into things, crashing sounds around me as they fall from the desk. My hands curl around what feels like my phone, relief washing through me that it hadn't been one of the things I knocked off.

I press the home button, the brightness of the screen momentarily blinding me as it lights up. I brush my finger across the screen, turning the flashlight on. The light illuminates the room, easing my anxiety a bit. I press the power button on the monitor, a frustration working its way through me when it doesn't respond.

"Fuckkk." I groan, throwing my headphones on the desk.

A small movement in the reflection of my monitor catches my attention, my eyes drawn to the screen in front of me. I narrow my eyes, trying to look passed the glare of my light for the source. I squint my eyes more, watching as something moves behind my head.

I whip around in my chair, my phone clutched in my hands, fully expecting to see someone messing with me. Instead I'm met with nothing, breathing a sigh of relief. I turn back around, chuckling quietly.

Pain explodes in the side of my head as something crashes into me, knocking me out of my chair. My phone lands beside me in a clatter, illuminating my face so it shows in the mirror in front of me. Blackness teases at the edges of my vision, my head spinning. Too disoriented to move, I watch as my blonde hair turns red, blood running down my forehead to drip onto the white carpet beneath me.

I hear footsteps behind me, feet becoming visible in the reflection before me. I try to take in their details but my eyes are drawn to the bat beside them, the side smeared with red. It lifts off the ground and I know this is it, this is the end. My vacant eyes are the last thing I see before the pain comes, thankfully it doesn't last long as my consciousness abandons me, leaving me floating in a sea of darkness.

I shoot up in bed, my eyes wide. I bring my hand up to my head, feeling for any sort of injury. Feeling nothing, I sigh in relief. My eyes dart around the room, comfort filling me at the sight of the familiar green walls of my room.

I place a hand to my chest, breathing in deeply. I exhale. I repeat this process a few times, telling myself the same thing I did any other morning.

"It's just a dream, Hoseok. You don't even know that guy, just relax. You're in your room, you're fine."

When my heart has calmed to a reasonable speed, I throw my blankets off. Standing, a smile spreads across my face, the unpleasantness of the dream already fading to the background. Rummaging through my drawers, I throw on sweatpants and a loose-fitting t-shirt. I walk across the room, flicking the bathroom light on as I enter.

I splash some water on my face, the coolness of it working to wake me up. I run my hands through my hair, the dampness flattening the wild locks into place. Pouting, I twirl one of the brown strands around my finger.

I wonder who he was. And why do I keep dreaming about him dying?

A knock sounds at the door, breaking me out of my thoughts.

"Coming!" I yell, turning the faucet off. I hurry through my apartment, my feet clomping quietly against the floor. Disengaging the lock, I pull the door open, a smile spreading across my face.

"Jimin!" I cry, pulling the younger boy in for a hug. I giggle as his silver locks tickle my nose. I spin around with him in my arms, kicking the door shut as I set him down in the entryway.

"You're seriously too hyper this morning, hyung," he giggles, pushing his hair away from his forehead.

"Well one of us has to be," I inform him, walking passed him to the kitchen. "Do you want some breakfast?" I hear the pitter-patter of his feet as he rushes to catch up to me, I giggle at his excitement. "I'll take that as a yes."

We walk into the kitchen, the yellow color scheme working to further boost my mood. I turn to Jimin, a smile spreading across my face. "How do pancakes sound?"

He bounces on his feet, his eyes crinkling as he smiles. "I love pancakes!"

Jimin sits at the table as I dance around the kitchen, humming as I gather everything to make pancakes. "How was it this morning?" he asks quietly. My humming falters, my feet tangling in themselves for a second. I clear my throat, composing myself.

"It was fine," I say, pulling a bowl down from the cupboard. I busy myself with inspecting my reflection in the outside of it as Jimin continues to talk.

"But it was the same dream right?" I nod, knowing he doesn't require a verbal answer. "Hmmm," he hums. I didn't even have to look at him to know that the gears in his head were turning. "How long has this been happening?"

I duck down behind the counter, pulling out a pan. "Three weeks," I admit, standing and moving to the stove.

"The same dream every night for three weeks?" I hum, the small response sufficient for him to continue. "And you're sure you don't know the person in it?"

I sigh, pouring the mixture into the bowl. "I've never seen him in my life, Jimin." I turn on the faucet, measuring out water and placing it with the mix. "Well, except for in the dreams, of course." I mix the batter, working out all the clumps. I smile in triumph, placing some on a pan. "And I would know if I've seen him before," I say, watching as bubbles pop on the top of the pancake.

"How do you know?"

I grab a spatula, flipping the food effortlessly. "Because he's way too attractive. I would definitely remember a face like that," I admit, placing the finished pancake on a plate.

"Don't let Baem hear you say that," Jimin says, chuckling.

I turn towards him, flashing him a smile. "Baem knows he's my one and only, Jimin."

"Yeah, but do you know that you're his?" He says seriously.

My smiles falters, but I push it back into place. "I don't know what you mean," I say, placing three more pancakes on the plate.

"It's not my place, I know." He sighs. "But he treats you badly, Hoseok. You deserve better than him."

I stare at the food in front of me, trying to lose myself in the popping batter bubbles. We had been fine, and then Jimin has gone and popped it all. Just like the heat did to this batter. "Baem and I are meant to be together, Jimin. Sometimes that takes a little work."

"I don't think-"

"Can we just eat, please?" I ask, carrying the steaming stack of pancakes over to the table. Jimin nods, his eyes flickering between me and the food, his stomach warring with his brain. I know which one wins as he stabs a cake, plopping it down onto his plate. I watch as he digs in, a smile pulling at my cheeks.

"Admit it," I giggle. "This is why you come over here in the mornings and not to Taehyung's."

Jimin rolls his eyes. "That and because Jungkook is always over there," he complains, giving me a good luck at his chewed up food.

"Gross, Jimin. Don't talk with your mouth full," I chastise, shoving a bite of food into my mouth.

Jimin makes a scene of swallowing, opening his mouth ot show me it was empty. "They're just too much sometimes, you know? 5 minutes with them and I feel like I'm watching the world's sappiest rom-com."

"Give them a break, Jimin," I mumble around a mouthful of pancake, bits flying out of my mouth.

"Now who's being gross!" Jimin laughs, flicking a crumb at me. I laugh, happiness flooding me as Jimin and I spend the rest of breakfast bickering.

Too soon, the wall on the clock chimes, eliciting a groan from both of us. I push back my chair, grabbing our plates. I dump them in the sink, turning to Jimin. "Time to go to work," I say. Jimin stands, his chair scraping against the floor.

"I love our job, Hoseok," Jimin says, joining me as I walk out of the kitchen. "But sometimes I'd rather stay home, you know?"

I chuckle, bending down to slip on my shoes. "I get it, Jimin. Plus today is Tuesday, which means we get the "Brat Squad"."

Jimin throws his head back, groaning. "They never listen to anything we say," he whines. "They don't even care about learning to dance. They just come to socialize."

"I know, I know." I pat his back before slinging my bag over my shoulder. He follows me out the door, waiting patiently as I lock it. We walk down the hallway and slip out the exit, merging with the groups of people on the sidewalk as I continue our conversation. "But they're parents pay good money. So I guess we'll just have to deal with it," I say, shrugging.

"That's easy for you to say," he grumbles, crossing his arms. "They don't make fun of you."

I snort. "I wouldn't exactly call them saying your cheeks are chubby is an insult." I pinch said cheeks, Jimin squeals, smacking my hand away. "It's just the truth," I laugh.

"Hmph," Jimin pouts, his bottom lips poking out.

We wade through a sea of people at an intersection, waiting in the front for it to give us the "all-clear" to walk. I tap my foot impatiently, dread filling me.

"I don't feel so good," I say, a nagging feeling poking at the back of my brain.

"What do you mean?" Jimin asks uninterested, his eyes glued to his phone.

"I-I don't know," I admit, bouncing from one foot to the other. WIth each second, the weight in my stomach feels heavier. "I just feel like something's wrong."

Jimin laughs at me, his fingers tapping against his phone screen. "You're being paranoid, hyung. It's sunny, no clouds in sight, and we had the best pancakes ever for breakfast. What could go wrong?"

I try to believe Jimin's words, but my body is fighting me, the dread in my stomach begging me to go home. "I don't know Ji-"

Something hits my back, making me lose my footing. I fall into the street, pain blazing in my palms as they scrape against the road. A horn blares and I look up. Everything seems to move in slow motion as I watch the car comes towards me, too close for me to get out of the way. I try to scurry away, but a pain in my ankle has my legs giving out, leaving me laying in the middle of the street. My heart thunders in my chest as I watch the wheels approach me, fear filling me as I realize there's nothing I can do now.

The world comes back to me as the car hits me, pain so excruciating filling me that I'm not sure where it even comes from. It just hits me from all angles, battering me over and over. Jimin's frantic voice screaming my name is the last thing I hear before darkness swallows me.