Can't Be Without You | Jungkook

Part 12

**

You feel rather dramatic, running towards the entrance and forcefully pushing open the hospital doors, frantically asking the nurse for where Jeon Jungkook is currently staying. The nurse directs you and you try to run, but fail, anxiety overtaking you at the thought of what you'll see.

Your knees weaken at the sight of your best friend lying limply on the bed, his head wrapped in a bandage, his right shoulder in a cast, cuts and bruises decorating the rest of his face and arms. You're not sure you want to know what else is broken.

There are hundreds of thoughts running through your mind as you rush towards him and meet his apologetic gaze. He looks terrible, but he's alive. That's what matters.

You swallow hard and graze your fingers over his left arm; if he hadn't been on morphine, Jungkook's sure he would've felt goosebumps all over. You slot your hand in his left one and your thumb traces circles over his. He wishes he could feel that, too.

"You breathing okay, Kook?" You ask, voice so meek and soft, he breaks at how weak you sound. He'd think that at the sight of what you fear the most, you'd be hysterical, but you still surprise him with your gentle treatment of him.

"Yeah," he replies groggily. "I—" he tries to speak more.

"Hey, hey. No need to talk, Kook." You say, shushing him and continuing to rub circles on his hand. "Just rest okay?" He nods. "I'll just be here."

Hoseok, Namjoon, and Yoongi, whom you'd assumed watched the match and took him to the hospital, all leave you to be alone with Jungkook. You stay there by his side and continue to soothe whatever part of him that isn't wounded.

"Stop being a stubborn pain in the ass, Kook," you teasingly tell him, as he constantly tries to talk and shift so he can look at you better. "You're a literal mummy right now. Just stay still," you giggle.

You both know you're just trying to mask the fear and worry with your playfulness. He indulges you by teasing and laughing along - or whatever sound he can make that resembles a laugh. He supposes this is better than seeing you sob at his literal brokenness; he'd take anything over seeing you cry.

The guys peek inside and you motion for them to come back in, as Jungkook had just fallen asleep. You take a deep breath and prepare yourself.

"What happened?" You ask, your voice now shaky, mask now off.

It's Namjoon who speaks up first. "He fought his last match and some people weren't happy."

"His last?" You ask, trembling.

"He's been talking about quitting for a while but he still needed cash so, uh..." the man continues, unsure if he should tell you. "He was fighting every week again, but he's been losing more than usual recently. Some patrons were accusing him of throwing the matches and obviously weren't happy."

"Well, was he?" You ask. But you know Jungkook wouldn't; regardless of the legality of what he does, you know he'd do it in a dignified way. He'd never get involved in such mess.

"No, of course not," Namjoon confirms. "Well, that's what he says at least. He's just been so out of it lately, so unfocused, even at work, that's why a bunch of those who bet on the fights were so angry because they thought he was losing on purpose. And then when the organizer announced it was his last match right after the fight, well... they thought he's quitting now after he's got his cut."

Jungkook only had a busted lip and a couple of bruises after the match, they said, but those people who beat him, and ironically had been cheering for him, made sure he ended his final night with dozens of stitches on his head, a broken shoulder, a couple of broken ribs, abdominal trauma, gashes on his arms, and a wounded pride.