CONCUSSED. | TAEKOOK - complete

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12:56 AM

"Well, hellooo, gents! Or should I say lady and gent, singular. Or maybe just ladies." The doctor laughed obnoxiously at his own horrendous joke before barging completely into the room. Jeongguk would be lying if he said he didn't jump in surprise, his hand somehow slipping out of Taehyung's. The blissful feeling drained from Jeongguk's veins, and he unknowingly missed its presence, even though he didn't really know what exactly it was that he felt. They had talked for a solid forty minutes, at least five of which being pure, unadulterated laughter, despite Taehyung's pounding head. Something about the way Taehyung delivered his words was hilarious to Jeongguk, and Taehyung cracked up just hearing him laugh. Neither of them laughed at the doctor's lame joke, however.

He was an old man, his hair a gray wisp on top of his balding head. Prominent smile lines were etched into his wrinkling skin, and his short frame practically waddled as he straightened his white coat. Dr. Li it read in blue embroidery across the lapel.

"So, before I start, I'm going to need you to take off your mask. Security protocol." Dr. Li said, smiling kindly. Jeongguk sighed, hoping the old man didn't look at the covers of any tech magazines or own a computer invented after 2012 as he pulled the black mask down under his chin. Dr. Li's eyes widened, and a devious smile appeared on his face as he took Jeongguk's face in for the first time. Jeongguk inwardly groaned, managing a small smile before gesturing to Taehyung for him to continue. Of course he just had to be recognized. His eyes never once left the floor in embarrassment. "Well, I'm not going to ask what happened, because I don't want to know the kinky details—" Jeongguk nearly choked on his own spit.

He looked up to see a mortified Taehyung with his cheeks aflame. Had he told a nurse when he wasn't paying attention? And did this old man just say "kinky?"

"Nonono, it's not like that, we're just friends." Jeongguk reassured the doctor. "I'm straight! Super, super hetero." Dr. Li gave him a skeptical look. Jeongguk looked to Taehyung in exasperation, expecting him to back him up. He only grew redder. "Right?" He said.

"Jeon, just drop it. You have a hickey on your jaw." Taehyung sighed. Jeongguk's jaw dropped before he wrestled his phone out of the pocket of his tight black jeans. Seeing his reflection in the glass, he let out a frustrated groan. Surely enough, a purple bruise rested just where his neck met his jaw. Fantastic. Jungkook sourly wiped his face with his sleeve, plopping back down in his chair in defeat.

"Well. Get on with it then." He said, the tips of his ears reddening in even more humiliation. Dr. Li chuckled.

"Don't worry. My lips are sealed." He reassured them, and this only slightly bettered Jeongguk's ruined mood. "Anyways, I'm afraid Mr. Kim has a moderate concussion. He'll need to be sure not to sleep for longer than 30 minute intervals until we can get him the proper medication." Dr. Li explained.

"And when will that be?" Jeongguk asked, taking the words out of Taehyung's mouth. Jeongguk had noticed that just talking to him earlier was making Taehyung's brain feel like it was going to explode, so he decided to try and keep his speaking to minimum. Especially to the doctor, who was particularly on Jeongguk's nerves at the moment.

"See, about that: we don't have the medicine on for Mr. Kim's type of concussion here at the hospital, but I wrote out a prescription for the medication that you can give to the nearest pharmacy when it opens tomorrow morning. I also included a recommendation for a light and sound therapist that should help with his headaches." Dr. Li explained, scribbling something messy onto his notepad. "The least you can do is make sure he doesn't sleep until he has that medicine in him, kid." He said. Jeongguk blushed profusely, regretting ever listening to the dumb security rule in the first place.

"Got it." He said, tempted to scoop up Taehyung and run out the door. Dr. Li had other plans, to Jeongguk's complete and utter dismay. Instead of handing the prescription to Jeongguk and leaving, he tucked it into the breast pocket of his black bomber jacket. The doctor sent him a wink, trying and failing miserably to be subtle.

"Have a good night, you two! Be safe!" He chortled over his shoulder as he exited the exam room. Jeongguk dragged his hand over his flushed face. Would this absurd old man quit making sexual innuendos already?

"Insane old man—"

"He meant on the car ride home, Gukkie." Taehyung said. A dash of something oddly enjoyable that made Jeongguk's pink lips part broke through his embarrassment at the use of his childhood nickname for him. The feeling was followed with confusion, and Jeongguk shook his head to clear it of the muddled thoughts.

"Oh. Right. I knew that." Jeongguk mumbled, standing and slipping his mask back over his lower face.

"Of course you did." Taehyung said, managing a small smile. Jeongguk flushed for what seemed like the millionth time.

"Yeah. I did, your concussed brain just can't comprehend that at the moment." Jeongguk smirked beneath his mask. Taehyung knew what his lips were up to just by the mischievous glint in his eyes, and a giggle bubbled from his lips.

"Don't make me laugh, it hurts." He said, bringing his hand to his forehead delicately. Jeongguk had to resist the selfish urge to continue making him laugh, ignoring the yearning to hear the soft laugh stream from his full lips like music to his ears. "Let's go home."

Jeongguk nodded, helping the older man up and steadying his unstable form. Inwardly, his thoughts rested on the final word of his sentence. Home.

That word. That was the feeling Jeongguk felt talking to Taehyung, the one he just couldn't quite manage to put his finger on. Catching up with him reminded him of everything he once identified as home: The stacks upon stacks of books he read with his head resting in his mother's lap. Playing video games with his brother, who always let him win. Having deep talks with his father about the good, the bad, and everything in between. Taehyung coming over, going over to Taehyung's. Playing house when they were five, playing music on the rooftop with a bottle of stolen liquor and some blankets when they were fifteen. The aroma of Taehyung's grandmother's home-made stew, a scent so enticing and welcoming that the mere thought of it warmed Jeongguk to the bone—

grROWWLLLL.

The sound of his hungry stomach interrupted his nostalgic thoughts. Taehyung raised an eyebrow at him, and for a split second, Jeongguk saw the old Taehyung, the one with chubby cheeks and messy brown hair and braces. And then the new Taehyung was back, all high cheek bones and tan skin and dazzling eyes framed by dark, thick lashes.

"What? Do I have hickies on my face, too?" He asked, self-consciously wiping at his sharp jawline with his sleeve. Realizing he had been staring for too long, Jeongguk cleared his throat.

"Uh, yeah. It's okay, though. Let's go." He said. With that, they left, leaving the weird doctor, the echoing of Taehyung's laugh in Jeongguk's ears, and the thoughts of past and present combined behind.