TAEKOOK ONESHOT (PART 2)

Part4

Jungkook woke to the sterile smell of disinfectant and the soft beeping of monitors. His body felt heavy, weighed down by the dull throbbing of pain and exhaustion.

His head was pounding, and as his vision slowly focused, he realized he was lying in a hospital bed.

The white ceiling above him seemed distant, almost foreign. A thin layer of sweat coated his skin, his body burning with fever. His throat was dry, his muscles ached, and faint, stinging cuts marked his arms and legs, a reminder of the battle they had survived.
His fingers twitched slightly, the cool sheet beneath them unfamiliar.

"Hyungie..."

The small, trembling voice cut through the haze of Jungkook's waking mind. He turned his head to the side, the motion slow and strained. And there, by the edge of the bed, stood Taehyung, his tiny frame dwarfed by the oversized chair he was sitting on.

His eyes were red-rimmed, his cheeks tear-streaked, and his lips were pressed into a tight, thin line as he tried to be brave.

"Tae..." Jungkook rasped, his voice hoarse and weak.

The moment their eyes met, Taehyung's resolve crumbled. His small body shook with silent sobs as he climbed up onto the bed, crawling over to Jungkook's side.

The weight of his little body pressed against Jungkook's side, and the older boy felt Taehyung's hands clutching at his hospital gown, desperate and afraid.

"Hyungie... don't go to sleep again," Taehyung whispered, his voice cracking. "Please... don't leave me alone."

Jungkook's heart clenched at the fear in Taehyung's voice. He lifted a shaky hand, gently resting it on Taehyung's soft hair, trying to soothe him. His body was screaming for rest, but he couldn't—not when Taehyung needed him. Not after everything they had just been through.

"I'm here, Taetae. I won't leave you." He forced the words out, his throat dry and painful. "I'm right here."

Taehyung nodded, his little fingers still gripping Jungkook's gown tightly, as if afraid that if he let go, Jungkook would disappear. His eyes never left Jungkook's face, watching every breath he took, every twitch of his lips.

Outside the room, doctors hovered, whispering in low voices, concerned looks on their faces. They had tried several times to coax Taehyung out of the room, to check him over and make sure he was alright.

But each time, the boy had refused, his panic rising, his fear palpable. He wouldn't leave Jungkook's side. The doctors had eventually given up, for now, waiting for the right moment to check on him.

Jungkook felt himself slipping back into the fog of exhaustion. His eyelids grew heavy, the pain in his body dulling into a distant throb. He wanted to stay awake, to keep his promise to Taehyung, but his body betrayed him. The fever was relentless, pulling him deeper into sleep.

But even as his eyes fluttered closed, he felt Taehyung's small hand still holding onto him, grounding him, anchoring him in the present. "I'll stay with you," Jungkook whispered again, his voice barely audible. "I'll protect you, Tae..."

And then, everything went black.

---

When Jungkook woke again, the room felt different. His body, though still weak and sore, no longer felt like it was burning from the inside out. The fever had broken.