BTS Sickfics

Jungkook: E. Coli

request by seokfiqs :)

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Jungkook's POV -

"Taehyung, please don't be sad," I whisper, crouching down to his sitting form on the sofa and gently wiping his tears away with my thumbs. Jimin sits next to him, gently massaging his shoulder. Taehyung just gives a sad little snuffle, leaning forward ever so slightly into my hand. I keep stroking away the tears that come.

"We'll spend the whole evening celebrating his life, right?" Jimin asks gently, leaning forward so he can see Taehyung's face. Taehyung doesn't look back at him, but he nods his head once quickly, his eyes looking down to the fishbowl still in his hands.

Taehyung has had his goldfish since he was twelve. The fish was nearly thirteen years old. We woke up this morning to see it floating upside down in its bowl, clearly dead. Taehyung broke down when he saw it. I've never known someone to have such a connection with a goldfish, but Taehyung loved it with all his heart. If he had to sleep somewhere else for the night, he'd bring the fish with him.

It almost looks silly. A grown man crying and sniffing over a dead fish, but I know it means more to Taehyung than just that. His nan had bought him the fish. She had bought him three, actually, which he creatively named Number One, Number Two, and Number Three. One and Three died before Taehyung was 18 and moved here for college, so just Two came with him.

Then, his nan died, and all he had was Number Two. He became attached to it. His nan had bought it for him, and he had cared for it for so long. It was his way of coping. So yeah, he loved that fish a great deal. It's not the sort of fish we can go out and just replace. It held sentimental value.

"Do you think the landlord will let us bury it in the garden?" Jimin asks, and Taehyung gives a sad little sob. Jimin turns his attention back to his best friend. "I'm sorry, honey. I wish I could make it better for you."

Taehyung shakes his head, and opens his mouth like he's going to say something, but he's too sad. He just shakes his head again, clutching the fishbowl tight. Number Two stays floating at the top, only making Taehyung sadder.

I gently pry the bowl from his hands. Surprisingly, he lets me, and I take the bowl to the kitchen. I fish poor Number two out, and wrap him up in some kitchen towel. He still feels slimy in my hands, and I shudder as I place him into a takeaway box, clipping the lid shut and wrapping it more in kitchen towel.

Jimin comes into the kitchen with a sigh, gently shutting the door behind him. "You do a burial service with him. I'll go to the shops and buy some stuff. All the things he likes."

"What are you gonna get?"

"Well, I'll get all the ingredients to make hamburgers, and I'll get him some ice cream and strawberries and cream. I'll get a candle, too, so we can light that. Taehyung likes sentimental stuff, right? And if I see anything he likes, I'll get that, too."

I nod my head, running my hands under the sink to get the slimy feeling off my fingers. "Sounds good. I'll try and distract him until you get back."

Jimin slips out the kitchen, and I go back to the living room with the box. Taehyung has moved, and has put his shoes and jacket on. He snatches the tub from my hands, stroking it with a sniffle, but he doesn't cry more.

"Will the landlord allow us to dig up a part of the garden?" Jimin asks as he comes back into the living room, adjusting his jacket around his shoulders. "Should we maybe ask first?"

I shake my head. "It's only going to be a small hole, and we'll do it somewhere discreet so he won't see the disturbed earth when he does his rounds. He can't exactly get angry at us for burying a pet."