TR | MW [✔]

05.

He'd been nervous the first time he'd stepped onto the wing, but coming back from the hospital was ten times worse. His stomach fizzled, and the pain in his side pulsed with each step he took. The pain radiated into his chest, making it hard to breathe. It was a fight-or-flight response to danger, and his body wanted him to spin around and run the hell away, but he went against the urge and walked back on the wing.

One of them had stabbed him, but he didn't know who. Heads lifted from their meals, and a heavy silence began suffocating the room. Jaesuk blew him a kiss, Mingyu directed a smirk his way, and then Wonwoo looked at Captain, and the bubbling in his gut stopped.

He gave Wonwoo a warm grin, then circled his finger in front of Beomgyu, so he'd turn around. Beomgyu turned and widened his eyes. He flung his chair back, took three big strides across the room, and then wrapped his arms around Wonwoo in a quick hug.

"You had me worried. You've been gone for ages."

"At least someone missed me."

"And Captain, he asked about you every day."

Wonwoo glanced at their table and gestured to Jungkook. "He sits with us now?"

"Yeah, he's good, I promise."

Wonwoo clutched his side as he walked over to the table, then sat down beside Captain. He offered his hand, and Wonwoo grasped on immediately.

"Glad you're back."

"Thanks, although the hospital food tastes better than this slop."

Captain and Beomgyu snorted, but Jungkook tilted his head, frowned, and then resumed scooping up his eggs.

"Anything changed?" Wonwoo asked.

Beomgyu looked pleased with himself. "Captain's been teaching me knife combat in the gym."

"How to disarm an attacker with a knife," Captain corrected.

"What do you do when they come up behind you in the dark?" Wonwoo muttered.

"For starters, turn the light on."

"It was broken."

"And the second you realized, you should've got out of there."

"Yeah, well, I've learned from my mistake," Wonwoo mumbled.

Captain tugged at the bottom of Wonwoo's t-shirt. "Let's see it then."

Wonwoo lifted his t-shirt and flashed the patch taped to his side. Beomgyu leaned over the table to get a good look, then sat back down.

"Does it still hurt?" Beomgyu asked.

"It aches, and pinches when I turn too quickly." Wonwoo knocked his shoulder against Captain's. "Thank you for—"

"Don't," Captain interrupted. "If I hadn't taken so long coming back to the wing, it wouldn't have happened."

"You can't look out for us all of the time."

"Watch me."

Wonwoo shook his head. "Where did you go that day?"

"Speaking to the governor. He's given me a cell of my own on the second floor, next to yours actually. No more terrifying my cellmate, and I begrudgingly agreed to see a psychiatrist."

"That's great."

Captain hissed through his teeth. "I canceled."

"Why?"

"I left the wing for thirty minutes, and you got yourself stabbed."

"You have to speak to someone."

"No, I don't. No one can make me do anything."