10 hours earlier . . .
The boy curled his knees up into his chest, his slender fingers toying with the hospital band around his wrist when the nurse came in to check on him. He gazed at her blankly, a soft sigh escaping his lips as he went back to messing with the band. The nurse went about her routine and checked his vitals. The velcro held the uncomfortable device on his arm while she filled it with air, leaving it for a few seconds before it released. After she had removed it, he rubbed the spot where it had been to alleviate the numb, tingling feeling.
Buzz..
Buzzz..
The vibrations caught his attention as he quickly snapped his head over to the source of the noise. His phone was ringing. The nurse excused herself, leaving him to answer the phone alone. He picked up hesitantly, his voice deep and raspy as he spoke into the mic. "Yah, who is this?"
"Is this Kim Taehyung?" the voice answered. It was that of a young woman, causing him to frown slightly. He thought it may have been a prank, possibly some girl Jimin tasked to cheer him up.
"Yes, this is. Can I help you..?" The girl inhaled audibly before sighing and answering his question. "There's a young man here.. looks to be around nineteen or twenty. He's unconscious and doesn't have an ID on him. You were the last contact on his phone.. would you mind identifying him for us?"
Silence filled the air for a few moments before she spoke up again. "If not.. we can try another contact."
"No." he answered abruptly. "I'll do it."
The girl told him the boy was taken to the hospital and gave him the room number.
"He's in room 218A." she spoke with a slight chirp in her voice. Taehyung thanked her before ending the call. The room he was in was only a few doors away from his own. He got out of bed, sliding the sheets away from him and putting his socks and a pair of sweat pants on. He left the gown on, finding no need to change if he wasn't going to be needed for long. His frame was thinner than normal, his cheeks sunken in slightly and dark circles were obvious under his eyes. He looked tired, no, exhausted. Completely and utterly worn out.
He exited the room, keeping his phone in hand as he walked down from his own room, 209A, and headed towards the room of the man he was asked to identify. Once he reached the door, he knocked quietly yet loud enough for someone inside to hear. A voice on the other side acknowledged him, allowing him entry. He opened the door slowly, peering inside before his gaze landed on the man on the bed. He froze.
"Ah, you must be Kim Taehyung. The man we asked to identify this boy for us?"
Tae nodded slowly, swallowing the lump in his throat before he inched closer to the bed. He stopped about a foot from the bed, staring at the unconscious male with tears beginning to well up in his eyes. Blinking them away, he took a deep breath and spoke, his eyes never leaving the boy. "His name-" he paused, choking back the tears that were more than threatening to spill. "..Jeon Jungkook."
"So you do know him? Wonderful! Can you tell us a little bit about him.. how you know him, for example? And maybe, if he has any illnesses, allergies, disorders. Anything along those lines?" The doctor questioned, a gentle smile on his lips.
The dirty blonde haired boy simply shook his head. "I've known him for most of my life. Childhood friends. I watched him grow up-" he turned away from the bed, he mumbled something to himself. "I love him.." running a hand through his disheveled his hair, he looked back up and focused his gaze on the doctor. "I'll be going now. Thank for for calling me." After speaking, he quickly headed towards the door after the doctor thanked him. Once he had exited the room, he stopped and fell back against the wall, sliding down until he was sitting on the floor with his knees pressed against his chest and his head in his hands. Soft sobs could be heard through his palms which were resting against his lips. Jungkook was back. Jungkook was hurt. He should have saved him. He should have been there for him.
He remained on the floor for several minutes before he finally tore himself from his spot, rubbing his now red eyes and running a hand over his tear soaked face. His lips were swollen and his nose was a shade of red, making him look entirely more miserable than he already was. He made his way back to his room, collapsing on the bed and pulling his sheet over his head as he buried his face into the pillow. He remained that way until the next morning, when he had calmed down a bit. He informed the nurse that he would be going to visit the boy sometime in the mid afternoon, and asked her to tell the nurse caring for who was caring for Jungkook the same.
---------- Present ----------
Jungkook stood still, his gaze fixed on Taehyung as he studied his features carefully. He didn't know how to react. He had abandoned his best friend four years ago and he didn't know how to apologize, or even where to begin.
"Hyung.." he whispered, tears forming in his eyes ever so slightly.
Taehyung locked eyes with him, his lips forming a weak, box shaped smile. "Yah, that's all I get? Come here, Jungkook-ah. I've missed you." He opened his arms wide, waiting in hopes that the maknae would approach him for a hug. He didn't.
"I've missed you too. Mianhae, Taehyung hyung.." he choked out, his shoulders hunching over slightly as a cold tear rolled down his cheek. Taehyung frowned immediately, rushing to his side and placing protective arms around the younger boy. He held him close, Jungkook's arms wrapping around him in return as he sobbed into his shoulder, soaking it in tears.
Seokjin had slipped out of the room when he saw the tension in the air between the two, leaving them to speak in peace. They remained in a tight embrace for several minutes, the two of them enjoying the closeness and comfort, after all the years of being apart. It felt right. It felt safe.
A/N:
WOOO chapter 5 completE <': prepare yourself for feeLs soon ;) <3
**the next chapter may contain triggering content, read at your own risk**
