BTS: I Need Your Blood, Sweat, Tears

7

    Hoseok wasn't...well.

At least, that's what Jimin would call it.

He spent far too much time on his own, and no one was sure what was wrong. Sure, they all hated themselves and their lives, but Hoseok... A different story altogether.

"J-Hope?" Jimin said, knocking on the bathroom door. No reply. "It's Jimin, are you in the-"

"Go away!" came back Hoseok's sharp, pained voice. "Go away, leave me alone!" Jimin stepped back from the door. Even so, even if he didn't feel up to the task to help himself, let alone Hoseok, he started to let himself into the bathroom.

The door burst open.

"Leave me alone, Jimin!" Hoseok yelled.

"J-Hope, I-"

"Stop calling me J-Hope! My name's not J-Hope! It's not J-Hope, it's not Hobi! It's! Hoseok!" Hoseok pushed past Jimin and his confusion, and though he could hardly be motivated to go after, he had to.

Because Hoseok had a knife grasped in his hand.

"Hoseok!" Jimin yelled, turning around and going after Hoseok, who was already out the door, leaving trails of blood behind him. "Jin, help me!" Jin looked up from where he was watching TV and turned to see Jimin, flustered and afraid.

"What happened?" he asked, and Jimin stomped his foot and dashed out the door after Hoseok.

"Hoseok!" Jimin yelled. "Hoseok!" Then he caught the figure running down the street, empty save for a couple cars. "Hoseok, come back!"

Jimin, after a few moments, caught up with Hoseok, who was too tired from running.

"Hoseok, stop running away," Jimin said, catching him with his hand on Hoseok's shoulder.

"Why not?" he asked, shrugging off Jimin's hand, and standing up straight. "No one wants me! No one cares! Why shouldn't I just leave?"

"What are you talking about?" Jimin asked. "When did I say I didn't want you?" Hoseok threw his hands up in the air, the knife wavering through dangerously.

"You didn't have to say anything! I know! I already know that no one cares and I'm a sad excuse for a person, and I should just take this knife, and... And... God!" Hoseok raised the knife, but before anything further could happen, Jimin tackled Hoseok to the ground.

"Drop the knife!" Jimin yelled.

"No!"

"Do it!"

"Let go! Just let me go!" Jimin wrestled the knife out of Hoseok's grip and tossed it away into the nearby gutter.

"Hoseok, Hoseok!" Jimin said, pinning Hoseok to the ground. He could care less what was all over the boy's arms. "Hoseok, stop struggling!

"Why?" Hoseok said, tears falling from his eyes, ceasing his angry movements and giving into Jimin's pin, repeating quietly, "Why?"

"You're not worthless, okay?" Jimin said.

"Why should I believe you?" Jimin sighed, looking off to the right for a moment.

"Because I came after you. And I'm just as messed up as you are." Hoseok breathed out his anger and hatred, looking all over Jimin's face for lies, deceit, falsehood. "Come on, Hoseok. Just come back home." Hoseok closed his eyes and Jimin let him go. As both boys stood, Hoseok hugged Jimin.

"I...," he started, but could hardly make it out. "I'm sorry."

"Let's go, Hoseok," Jimin said, leading him back towards the house. "I'll fix your arms."

Jungkook limped alongside Namjoon and Yoongi. His leg was sore, now even more since he had continued to mess with it. It had turned pale with the lack of proper blood flow.

He tripped.

"Kookie, you okay?" Yoongi asked as he watched Jungkook struggle on. Jungkook nodded and kept walking, though at a slow pace. Yoongi looked over to Namjoon. "Joonie, maybe it's not such a good idea to keep him walking like this." Namjoon nodded, then leaned to look at Jungkook.

"Jungkook, you want to just go to our house?" he asked. Jungkook limped forward. He was sweating. All the lack of feeling, and the loss of blood, all the carelessness had taken a lot out of him. "Okay. Suga, you take him home. I'll get some food for everyone and be back soon." Yoongi nodded and they split up, Yoongi leading Jungkook to the left towards the direction of the house.

"Jimin?" Yoongi called when he hoisted Jungkook into the room. "V, is Jimin here?" V shook his head, eyes on the TV.

"He went out," Hoseok said simply. "Why?" When he looked up, he caught the sight of Jungkook being only held up by Yoongi's body, breathing heavily. "Yoongi! Take him to the hospital!"

"Sorry!" Yoongi countered. "I thought Jimin would be here to help!" Hoseok made a frustrated noise and threw his book onto the couch he was sat on, standing up and taking Jungkook away from Yoongi, and towards the back where the bathroom was.

"What'd you do to yourself?" he asked quietly and monotonously as he made Jungkook sit down on the floor and grabbed Jimin's aid kit. "Tell me so I know what to do." Jungkook simply looked at Hoseok before he weakly lifted up his pants to show multiple cuts along the side of his calf.

"Hoseok?" someone knocked on the door. Yoongi. "Hoseok, what're you doing?"

"Don't worry," Hoseok answered. "Jimin's not here, I'll take care of it." Yoongi stepped away from the door and Hoseok continued. "When's the last time you ate?" Jungkook managed a shrug. "Okay, that's probably why the cuts are hurting you more because you're not eating. When did you do this?" Jungkook managed another shrug.

It hurt. His leg actually hurt this time.

"I know what it feels like," Hoseok said. "Jimin probably already told you, but he doesn't like to entertain the fact that I've healed from it all." Jungkook watched as he played out the actions Jimin had. Clean, wipe, bandage. "I just don't like to be bothered, so they try not to mess with me. I don't trigger easily, which they think isn't true. That's why I can do this." Hoseok reached for a towel and wiped down Jungkook's forehead, then got cold water and did it again. "You might be sick. It's best if you stay here for the night." Jungkook shook his head. "Yes, you really should. You can't walk and you need to eat and sleep." Without any further words, Hoseok helped Jungkook to his feet and led him out of the bathroom.

"Hoseok," Yoongi said, sitting up.

"Yoongi, get off the couch," Hoseok demanded, and Yoongi jumped up to let Jungkook lay down. "What do we have for food?"

"RapMon's getting sushi," Yoongi explained. Hoseok nodded and looked over at Jungkook, who was shaking. He grabbed a blanket off V, who protested, but stopped when Hoseok laid it over Jungkook.

"Jungkook," Hoseok said, "just stay here, okay? You're not worthless. You'll get some food and rest and we'll check on you in the morning."