134340 |JJK FF|

Chapter 37

"What?!"

In all honesty, Jeongguk wasn't one to hesitate to undress in front of others (and by others he meant his very close friend group). He'd spent most of his time in the seclusion of his burrow or playing under the scorching Proxima. It embarrassed him at the beginning, but the nightmare that was summer under Proxima won out.

Seokjin hyung would call him shameless, although Jeongguk could very well give out an awesome counterargument to that. But he would be too busy standing right under the air conditioning and trying not to die from a heat stroke.

Right now, however, he felt like he could take in a million heat strokes. Willingly.

"Just-- why?!"

Han Yumi's jaw clenched as her eyes slowly trailed away from him, "I can't exactly bandage you over your clothes,"

The wounds on his back stung at the mention. "... I can patch myself up,"

"You can stretch your hands all the way to your back?"

It took a bit of prodding and a lot of whining, but soon Yumi compromised. He'd keep his shirt on, just lift it enough for her to check the wounds. Like how she did for his other ones.

He could've sworn she was blushing.

Nevertheless, he faced away, trying not to feel like the helpless, wounded guy he was being. This was wrong. He was not supposed to be immobilised on the sand and have someone else--

The cold fingertips touched his skin, making him jerk. The muscles around the injuries had gone completely numb from the cold, and he allowed himself to feel grateful, just a little. At least he could not feel the pain in its full strength. With how pathetic the fall into the sea made him feel, he wasn't sure if he could handle that.

"What--" Yumi interrupted herself, remembering what was going on before she called for him during the storm. Of course, Taehyung's claws left an impression on Jeongguk's back, the guy was always sharpening them against tree barks and large rocks. Jeongguk hadn't quite appreciated how much of an awesome ally Taehyung was. It only hit him when he was standing against him.

He bit back a groan as he felt his skin being picked and Yumi apologised profusely, saying something about 'chances of infection' that he couldn't bring himself to listen to. What was the last thing he remembered happening? He remembered seeing Taehyung being supported by the humans before having the winds knocked out of him. He remembered the brief relief and trust course through him before his feet weren't touching the floor and his body was falling through the air.

"Do you know what happened to the others? At all?"

Yumi bit her lip before shaking her head. Jeongguk had expected it, she had already told him what she knew. But it was a blow nonetheless.

Jeongguk stared at the sea, his body aching in a way that had nothing to do with his injuries. What was going on at the ship now, with only three humans and a dying hybrid? Had they managed to hold the ship upright again? How badly did the attack affect them?

For Pluto's sake, what the heck was happening with Taehyung now? He'd gone batshit crazy before the attack, and Jeongguk couldn't remember if he was injured or not. The humans had taken him, he knew, but that didn't relieve him. Had that spout of crazy been temporary or has he completely lost his mind?

"Don't worry." As if hearing his thoughts, Yumi spoke up, "Hara is the most responsible person I know. Your friend... he's in safe hands, that I can say,"

A lump appeared in his throat, "That's great."

"It's..." The hand on his back stilled as she swallowed, "Did he...?"