~<*>~ Pain in me ~<*>~

Chapter 25

Jun is taking a random walk again. Seungkwan and Vernon laugh about it, but Jun really finds it relaxing. Ever since he got banned from the Titans, it even became his favorite thing to do. It kills the time and you never know what you might stumble upon, like Jun suddenly saw Dino, Wonwoo and Mingyu again that time it was snowing. Besides, Jun knows every little corner in this city by now, just because he walks every so often. It's a warm day knowing it's the winter, but Jun enjoys the sunrays on his skin. Jun exhales exhausted while he sits down on a bench right next to the road. His ankle healed a bit, but he can't overdo his body. He's not even sitting down for a solid minute when his phone buzzes. Already knowing who it is, Jun takes his phone out of his pocket. Smiling, he picks up.
"Hey, Kwannie", Jun greets his roommate and he hears a soft giggle.
"Hi Jun", Seungkwan answers, "what are you doing?"
"What do you think?" Jun asks joking.
"Walking, probably", Seungkwan mumbles and Jun chuckles confirming.
"Don't forget to take it easy!" Vernon yells through the phone and Jun smiles.
"I won't, mom", he says joking and he can hear the irritated grunt from Vernon.
"Hey, next time take me with you," Seungkwan says, "I want to know what's so special about those walks." 
"I will", Jun says while he knows Seungkwan is smiling brightly on the other side.
"Are you sure you can do that?" Vernon asks worried. Jun has to admit he doubts whether Seungkwan's knee is recovered enough to join him.
"Seriously, you ruin all the fun", Seungkwan pouts and Jun laughs amused.
"I'll take you with me when you're healed, all right?" Jun says and Seungkwan sighs agreeing.
"But now I'm going to continue walking, I'll see you guys tonight", Jun says and Vernon yells a goodbye before hanging up. Jun chuckles again while he puts his phone away, Seungkwan must be sulky if he didn't say goodbye. That kid sometimes acts like a toddler. The brunette stretches his arms and legs briefly before he gets up and continues to walk. He hasn't been that much in this area because he doesn't really like the roads, but since he needs some variation he has no other choice than to just pass this road too sometimes. While he walks, Jun closes his eyes satisfied. He enjoys the fresh air, the sound of the cold wind which is warmed up by the sun. The silence of the nature is sadly nowhere to be heard in this part of the city, the cars passing by on this road ruin it all. Jun coughs annoyed when a car passes and he curses at the vehicle for driving so recklessly. But then, Jun blinks confused. He could've sworn it looked just like Scoups' car, but Scoups would never drive like that. Maybe Jun is just hallucinating. While he's still thinking about the weird scene, he suddenly stumbles upon something even more concerning: a motorcycle is lying down on the ground, bruised and smoking. A few meters away from the bike, a person is lying on the concrete, his helmet bruised and it doesn't seem like he's wearing any clothes for a motorcycle. Jun looks at the scene puzzled, but when realization hits, his heart fills with panic. That bike is Dino's and he seems to recignize that body. While his heart is pounding in his chest, Jun sprints towards the person on the ground and when he comes closer, he recognizes him even better. Quickly, but with trembling hands, he takes off the helmet and confirms his scared suspicions: Scoups is lying down on the ground, unconscious and bruised. His nose is bleeding and its looks like his head is too, but it's difficult to say where exactly the blood comes from.
"Shit, shit shit", Jun curses panicking while he tries to find a solution. He can't bear to see his friend, who he will always see as his leader or maybe even his older brother, being hurt like this. He will not see Scoups die in front of his eyes. Jun refuses to. So he does the only option that comes to mind: he calls 911.
"911, what's your emergency?" The line brings both relief and panic to Jun, but he tries to explain the situation as best as possible. When he starts to think how this accident could have happened, he gasps shocked. What if that reckless car was the one who hit Scoups? But when Jun properly looks around, he sees another car standing still not too far away from the bike. Jun runs towards the vehicle, but he lets his shoulder hang down disappointed. 
"The vehicle is abandoned, ma'am. The one who did this ran off. The coward", Jun curses and the woman tries to calm him down, but he can't think clearly anymore. His mind gets blurry seeing Scoups lying down so vulnerably.
"My friend is in danger! How can I calm down!?" Jun yells, holding back tears.
"I understand that you're worried, but help is on the way. Now can you tell me your name?" the woman says and Jun's eyes widen. He hasn't thought about that yet. He remembers Joshua's warnings, they're repeating over and over in his head. Remember, you're a wanted man. You'll have to be way more careful than you think. Jun swallows nervously before he opens his mouth.
"I'm sorry, I can't", Jun mumbles before he hangs up. He can't let the first responders see him, he has to hide somewhere. Panicking again, Jun looks around trying to find a place to be safe. Not knowing what to do, he quickly gets into a bush right next to Scoups. Jun notices he's breathing heavily but he starts to calm down when he hears the sirens nearing. They're going to help Scoups, his leader isn't going to die today. Paramedics soon arrive at the scene and as they're nearing, Jun tries to stay as quiet as possible. Every little sound can snitch him. 
"Sir, can you hear me? Sir?" one of the paramedics asks, but as expected, Scoups doesn't react. Jun's heart sinks seeing the scene in front of him. Luckily, Scoups' vitals seem fine. Everything happens so fast and Jun can barely follow. Before he knows it, Scoups is getting placed on a brancard. While doing so, the black-haired male grunts softly, but loud enough for Jun to hear. The brunette almost gasps out of relief, Scoups is alive.
"It's okay, sir. You're safe. We'll help you", a paramedic says comforting while they walk into the ambulance with Scoups. Jun watches from his hiding spot as the vehicle drives away towards the hospital, luckily Jun knows which one they're headed to. But the police is still busy investigating the car, so Jun has to stay in place. His legs starts to hurt from staying in this position for too long and his ankle is aching too. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the cops leave and Jun can get up. His whole body seems to crack as he takes his first steps. It's already dark and Jun's mind is filled with questions. Why would Scoups drive Dino's bike? And why did he do that alone? Who hit him? And most of all, why? Why didn't he help Scoups? At the speed of his racing mind, Jun runs home, ignoring the pain in his ankle. But what he didn't notice is the most important detail of all: the second helmet which was lying right beside him the whole time.

~<*>~

Seungkwan grunts annoyed while he tries to call Jun again. Why won't the brunette just answer? When it gets to voicemail, Seungkwan decides to speak.
"Jun, please call me back. You should've arrived home a while ago, I'm worried. Where are you?" After those words, Seungkwan hangs up again and looks at Vernon defeated.
"Voicemail again?" his roommate asks.
"Yup...", Seungkwan mumbles and Vernon's eyes soften.
"Hey, don't worry. Jun will be fine, he'll be here soon enough. It's not that big of a deal", Vernon says comforting as he stands right next to Seungkwan. They both look at the dinner table which is filled with steaming food, it would have looked delicious if Seungkwan wasn't this mad.
"It is a big deal", Seungkwan says gritting through his teeth.
"What? Jun can easily warm his food back up. If you're really that hungry, you can already start, but...", Vernon says but Seungkwan throws him an angry look.
"It's not about the damn food!" Seungkwan curses frustrated and Vernon blinks surprised.
"What is it about then?" he asks softly, trying to understand Seungkwan.
"I'm worried sick about Jun!" Seungkwan exclaims, "Ever since Joshua banned him, he is acting different. Going on walks, staying away. It's like he doesn't want to be home anymore!"
"I'm sure it isn't that big", Vernon tries to ease Seungkwan's feelings.
"But what if it is? What if he doesn't like us anymore? What if he isn't happy with us anymore?" Seungkwan rants and Vernon is left speechless.
"I don't want to lose him, Vernon", Seungkwan adds with tears in his eyes and Vernon soon gets into action and quickly hugs his friend tight.
"Hey, we're not going to lose Jun, I'm sure he's all right!" he tries to comfort Seungkwan, but his roommate doesn't want to believe it.
"But why is he acting this way?" Seungkwan asks desperatly.
"We'll ask him when he's home", Vernon answers calmly while he lets go.
"If he ever comes home", Seungkwan mumbles sad.
"Don't you say that!" Vernon yells. "Have some faith in Jun!"
"How can I have faith in someone who doesn't like me anymore?" Seungkwan asks and a tear is rolling down his cheek slowly.
"Okay, let's calm down," Vernon suggests, "why are you suddenly thinking like this? What's wrong?" Seungkwan looks at his friend and tries to think of a good answer, but it feels like he suddenly lost his ability to speak.
"It's okay, I'm ready to listen. Take your time", Vernon says softly and Seungkwan smiles thankful.
"As I already told you, I'm worried about Jun. He's out so much, barely home. It just makes me feel like he's avoiding us, like he's avoiding me", Seungkwan blurts out and Vernon nods understanding.
"I understand, but you have to realize that Jun is just trying to find his way again. He got banned from our group, which basically means he won't see any of us anymore. The Titans was something he deeply enjoyed, even though he started to doubt lately. It's hard when that suddenly gets taken away from you", Vernon tries to explain.
"But why won't he tell us? He can always talk to me", Seungkwan mumbles.
"I know, he probably knows too. But I believe that when he looks at us, he sees the Titans. It's like looking at a diamond through a cage of glass. You can see it, but never reach it. I believe it must be painful for him. And besides, you know him. He never wants to be a burden..."
"Because he's the oldest, I know", Seungkwan finishes his sentence. Vernon nods and Seungkwan smiles thankful.
"How do you know all this?" he asks a bit shocked.
"I'm just good at observing", Vernon smiles proudly. Seungkwan is glad Vernon is with him right now, only he knows how to calm him down. A few minutes pass by while the two stare at each other in silence.
"Shall we start eating already?" Vernon breaks the silence and Seungkwan nods. He has to admit he is still worried, but right at that moment the front door opens. Both Seungkwan and Vernon turn around triggered, only to be faced with the silhouette of Jun. Seungkwan wants to stay calm, but his worry takes the upper hand.
"Where were you?" he asks angry with his hands on his hips. Jun stares at him, but keeps silent.
"We were worried, you know?" Vernon adds after a few seconds, but Jun still doesn't reply.
"Goddamnit, why are you doing this to us!?" Seungkwan snaps and they finally get an answer.
"I'm sorry...", Jun mumbles softly and Seungkwan's heart shrinks when he realizes there's something wrong. When he steps closer to his friend, he sees his wet cheeks and his red eyes: Jun has been crying.
"What's wrong?" Seungkwan asks, forgetting about his anger. Jun takes a few shaky breaths before he answers.
"It's Scoups," he says sobbing, "he's in the hospital."