Kill Our Way to Heaven (Jikook) ✔

Chapter 38

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ 38
"ᴀ ꜱᴇᴀ ɢᴏɴᴇ ʙʟᴀᴄᴋ"

Jungkook didn't expect the knock on his door. With Namjoon having left only a few minutes prior to work on a group project in the library and Jimin having left him without any explanation, he was completely alone. His mind had been killing him, guilt and fear running rampant. Most of his time was occupied by Jungkook distracting himself. With music pouring through his headphones and his fingers running over his keyboard in a desperate attempt to type out an essay that had been due for a while now, he could almost drown out the thoughts still preoccupying him.

Now it was different. Now that he walked towards the front door and opened it only to be greeted by two familiar eyes, the feeling of guilt suddenly became tangible, almost as if it was woven in the air. It smelled like uncertainty and salt and tasted like the bile that sat unsteadily in his stomach. He felt heavy just looking Taehyung in the eyes as the elder greeted him. He looked so positive, so naive. It only made Jungkook feel worse about the memories flashing through his mind without pause.

"Hey, why didn't you tell me you'd come over?" the younger said, stepping aside so that Taehyung could walk in. At this point, it had become a routine for the elder to take his long coat off and hang it on the coatrack within his first seconds of entering the dorm room. So when he didn't, it was all the weirder.

Jungkook finally got a good glimpse at him. Taehyung looked sick and tired. Despite his smile covering his façade, he was undoubtedly at the point of breaking down. His cheeks and nose were red, almost as if he was running a fever, and a thin layer of sweat cladded his skin despite it being winter. There were dark marks framing his almost soulless eyes. It seemed as if he wasn't quite there, as if something inside him was fading. 

"I was just passing by," Taehyung said. His voice sounded groggy and tired, but the tone at which he said it still clung to some energy. 

"Are you feeling a bit better?" Jungkook carefully asked. Taehyung just nodded.

"Yeah, I'm slowly getting better. And it's good for me to be up and about," he said. "Speaking of, would you like to go on a walk with me? If you have nothing else to do, of course. I guess this is kind of out of the blue," the elder added. Jungkook just took a second to process what his boyfriend had asked him. 

"Oh, yeah, sure," he quickly answered after blinking a few times. "I do have an essay due, but I was about to take a break anyway." 

Taehyung just flashed him a smile. "Good," he said. 

As Jungkook walked back to where he was working to turn off his laptop and put away his books, he couldn't keep his eyes off the elder. Something wasn't right about him. Taehyung still seemed so sick. He was swaying from left to right, his blinks seeming slow and heavy. 

Jungkook only took his eyes off him for a split second. When he looked back the elder was leaning against the wall, his grip weak but desperate. Only a moment later did his knees buckle under him completely, Taehyung only able to catch himself just before he hit the floor.

"Wow, are you alright?" Jungkook asked, sprinting towards his boyfriend. When he touched his shoulder he felt just how scorching the elder's skin was. Even through the many pieces of fabric, he could feel the heat radiating from him.

"Sit down," Jungkook said, worryingly. Taehyung just shook his head ever so slightly, scared more movement would send him tumbling to the floor again.

"No," he answered, pushing himself off the wall. "Let's go."

"Wait, you're burning up a fever. Please, sit down," Jungkook said, putting his hand on the elder's shoulder again to stop him from walking away.

"I'm fine," Taehyung insisted. He grabbed the younger's wrist. As soon as he was back on his feet, he started pulling him along. "Come on," he said, still breathing heavily.