Death Drive

xx. One Hundred and Five

Time progressed, and days back home turned into weeks.
Two weeks, to be exact.

As the clock beside Jungkook rang abruptly at 8:00AM, he sprung awake, groggy, to Jin asleep peacefully beside him. Since returning home, Jungkook and Jin were sleeping together every night. Eager to spend the day with the boy whom he had fallen even more deeply in love with, Jungkook poked Jin's cheek with his index finger.

"Wake up," Jungkook whined intensely, "We've gotta meet with Yoongi and Hoseok at the airport today!"

Jin's eyes snapped open quickly, as he winced with pain.
"Oh yeah," Jin smiled, "I was beginning to forget about those two."

Jungkook cocked his head to the side, staring at Jin intently, and worriedly.
"I don't want to worry you," Jungkook began, "But you don't look too good, Jin..."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jin laughed, making an effort to sit up, but feeling the blood rush in his head and returning to his horizontal position.

Cautiously as to not cause Jin to object, Jungkook put the back of his hand on Jin's forehead, and gasped.
"You're hot!" he exclaimed.

"Back atcha'," Jin smirked.

"No, I'm serious," Jungkook said with wide eyes, "You're really, really hot! Do you have something I can take your temperature with?"

"I mean, probably," Jin said, a look of panic beginning to sweep over his expression, "Is it really that bad?"

"I don't know," Jungkook said, flustered, standing up and leaving the room, "But I want to check just incase," he yelled, pacing into Jin's bathroom where medicine and bandaids were stashed away.

After a moment, he returned, with a small white thermometer for Jin. Jungkook held down the green button on its side until it let out a sharp beep, and then he forced it under Jin's tongue. They waited for what seemed like an eternity, until finally, it beeped again, and Jungkook snatched it away from Jin, the numbers on the screen in his view.

"One hundred and...oh my god..."

"What is it?" Jin asked, frightened.

"It's a hundred and five..." Jungkook said with a blank stare.

"Okay," Jin leered, "So what does that mean?!"

"It means we need to take you to the ER, Jin,"
Jungkook said with a shaky voice, "Immediately."

"I'm sure it's just a fever. It'll pass," Jin brushed aside desperately.

"What are the symptoms of your condition?" Jungkook asked fast, as he picked up a cellphone from the bedside table.

"Hm?"

"Spit it out, would you?"

"Fine!" Jin frowned, "They said I'd get hot, and then I'd get glossy vision, and then I'd slip in and out of consciousness."

"You're hot," Jungkook said in a effortfully calm tone, with a sense of panic that could not be hidden, "And I don't want to wait around for the next steps to kick in."

"I don't want to," Jin said alarmingly, grabbing Jungkook's arm, "Please don't make me go!"

"I want you to be safe!" Jungkook shouted, "I don't want you to be in pain!"

"I'm sorry!" Jin screamed, sitting up all too quickly and wrapping his arms around Jungkook's neck, hanging on him like a ragdoll.

"Don't you understand?!" Jungkook shouted back, "We need to go!" he exclaimed.

"I don't want to go!" Jin pleaded, "I don't want to leave you!"

"Who said anything about leaving? I'm going to be with you every step of the way," Jungkook sighed, regulating his breath and calming down, for Jin's sake, "You won't be without me. Not for a second, as long as either of us are alive."

"But what about after I—"

"No," Jungkook said, spinning around and kissing Jin on the mouth, a cry out for him to shut up, "Don't worry about that. Don't you dare."

"I can't help it."

Jungkook kissed Jin again, this time for longer, as tears welled in his eyes and he used every muscle in his body to hold them back.

"I'm driving you to the ER, Jin," Jungkook said sternly, as Jin broke down again, "I'm sorry, and I love you so much."

"Don't tell me you love me," Jin begged, "Not now. Let's go."

Jin stood up from beside Jungkook, only to fall backwards, alarming Jungkook to the fullest extent. Jungkook lifted Jin onto his own back, and held him up by his thighs, running out the door and to his car. Shoving Jin into the passengers seat, and strapping himself in to drive, Jungkook was off to the hospital.

"Why are you doing this?" Jin asked.

"Because you're hot!"

"No," Jin said, "I mean, why are you taking charge for once? You ignored my health for so long, and now, finally, when I want to ignore it, you refuse to. Why is that?"

"Because," Jungkook began without taking his eyes off the road,
"For the longest time, I truly thought that I loved you. And sure, maybe I did. But as of right now, I really am, one hundred percent, head over heels in love with you. I'd marry you—right now if I could. And when you love someone, you don't want them to hurt. You're going to hurt a lot soon, and I want it to be as painless as possible."

"You didn't love me before?" Jin asked.

"I loved the idea of you," Jungkook said, "But, I didn't have you, so I couldn't 'love' love you."

"You have me now, then?" Jin asked patronizingly.

"I think so," Jungkook smiled, tightening his grip on the wheel, "And, I think that you think so too."

"I know so," Jin laughed, "This probably isn't going to make either of us feel any better," he began, "But if I could go back in time, I'd have dated you right when you told me that you loved me," Jin chuckled, "I wish I realized that I loved you back sooner."

"So do I," Jungkook choked, "Would've made this entire car ride a lot less hard."

"What makes you say that?"

"We'd already be in love, and comfortable, and used to each other," Jungkook chuckled, "Now, we've only just started, and you're already being taken from me."

With that word, Jin began to sob.

"I wish I could spend the rest of my life with you," Jin cried.

"Not to get too dark, but, in theory, you will be."

"I don't want to stress you out," Jin admitted, "But I feel like I need to ask you this: will you stay by my side until the very end?"

"I would have done it whether you asked me to or not," Jungkook said, taking one of his hands off of the wheel, and tangling his fingers with Jin's.

"This is fucking me up," Jin laughed, wiping his under-eyes with his sleeve, "I'm gonna do whatever the doctors tell me to. I'll take every shot, every IV, every pill. I don't care. I'll do whatever it takes to spend forever with you."

"I'm glad your attitude about all of this has changed," Jungkook smiled, squeezing Jin's palm.

"I don't know if I can get better," Jin said sternly, "But I'm not gonna give up without a fight."

"And if you get out of this alive and okay, we have a follow-up date that you promised me," Jungkook said slyly.

★

AN// Okay guys. It's fast-paced go-time. The rest of these chapters, by nature, are going to be pretty fucking sad. So, I'm sorry in advance. I'll try to lighten it up with some dark humor.