cold feet [1]

forty two

jimin's point of view

He was gone.

I woke with a stiffness in my neck that sent tense pain through every muscle in my back. It was a challenge to lift my head and work out where exactly I was, having a vague memory of falling asleep in conversation with someone. Looking around the room I quickly remembered why I had been sleeping on the floor because the reason for it was gone. The blankets on the bed were cold and empty, red dried to brown left to stain the fabric forever.

"Jungkook?" I looked next to me, Yoongi still passed out with his own neck resting against the side of the bed. "Yoongi!" I yelled frantically, shoving his shoulder to wake him. He stirred with a groan that announced his annoyance.

"What Jimin?"

"It's Jungkook. He's gone." At those words Yoongi's eyes fluttered open fully so he could look up at the empty bed. With several curses all jumbled into one he stumbled to his feet and nearly toppled over entirely when his legs were still processing that they had a job to do.

"Shit we were supposed to be watching him!" Yoongi gritted out in frustration, mostly towards himself. I followed him after checking the window in worry that he had jumped out of it. But thankfully the locks were still sealed shut with rust. The drop was enough to hospitalise anyone.

Why can't he just stay still?

Yoongi ran out the door to begin checking the floors below them, leaving me to wander around the top floor in hopes that he had tried to run and given up half way. Everyone else was still asleep so I tried to avoid waking them with my snooping, only giving a quick glance in Hoseok's room that was next to Yoongi's. Then I caught sight of the balcony at the end of the narrow hallway. Of course!

I ran to the door toward the small outdoor area. In the chair that had been set up for Yoongi's morning music sessions was Jungkook curled up under a pastel yellow blanket. He had his head nuzzled into the crook of his neck, staring blankly out at the still dark sky, slowly lightening in the dawn. I grabbed onto the door and slid it open, noting the way he jumped at the sudden noise.

"Jesus Kook, you have no idea how worried I was." I announced in a gasp of breath, slipping in beside him in the cramped space. He turned and gave a small and fake smile towards me.

"Sorry. I just..." He didn't finish, turning back to stare at the sky. I approached him slowly and carefully rested my hand on his shoulder. With barely any contact he tore himself away, bringing the blanket further over his body as he continued staring into the darkness that reflected in the rheum of his eyes.

"Jungkook, I'm not going to hurt you." I reassured him gently, taking a step back when he didn't relax. He nodded slightly, lifting his hand to his neck.

"I- I know." It hurt seeing him like this. So fragile and scarred. Speaking of scars, I knelt down beside him, looking up into his eyes that were cast down.

"Can I check the coverings?" I asked softly, holding out an open palm as a peace offering. Though he seemed hesitant, he ended with a stiff nod. Then he turned away in refusal of the scar, letting me remove the blanket and begin to unwrap the bandage holding his dressing in place. The skin around the cuts was red and hot, a concern that they could be getting infected, though I would let Yoongi make that decision. The bites that surrounded the wound were what concerned me the most, six of them all having pierced skin. God it must have been so painful... "He's never done this before..." I muttered absently, not intending on saying it out loud. Though I quickly recognised my fuck up when his hand suddenly grabbed my wrist, tearing me away.

"What do you mean before?" His voice trembled with a desperation. I bit my lip and shook my head as I tried to squirm out of the lock on my wrist that sent a shivering reminder into the part of my brain that made me want to scream and defend my life.