✔ || Save Me [[SEQUEL to DISTRACT ME]]

Chapter 46

Jeongguk rubbed Taehyung's back soothingly, eyebrows furrowing in worry. He had just stepped out of his shower, deliberating on the events in the bedroom, when the elder had suddenly crashed inside, collapsing before the toilet. He hardly had the lid up all the way before he was retching.

"Hyung?" he asked carefully, squeezing the boy's shuddering shoulder.

"Y-yeah?" Taehyung gagged.

"Why - why are you puking?"

"I -" the boy dropped his head back over the toilet bowl, and Jeongguk shut his eyes just in time to miss the half-digested gaeran toast hitting the water. "I d-don't know. Stomach flu, maybe."

Jeongguk pursed his lips, "Or anxiety."

Taehyung dry-heaved before wearily lifting his head. "What?"

"Hyung," Jeongguk crouched beside him. "What's wrong? What happened earlier with your seizure?"

"Not a seizure," the boy mumbled.

"Well, whatever it was," Jeongguk insisted, "it was awful. Please, let me help you. We're in this together, right?"

Taehyung slumped forward. "Yeah. Help me up?"

Jeongguk slotted his hands under the boy's armpits and hauled him to his feet, wrinkling his nose at the foul contents of the toilet bowl before flushing it. Taehyung stumbled to the sink and spit before grabbing his toothbrush. Jeongguk closed the toilet lid and perched on it, waiting for Taehyung to finish cleaning up.

Seokjin poked his head in. "Taehyungie? You okay?"

Jeongguk scowled, "What did you do to him?"

The eldest shifted uncomfortably. "I was just trying to get him to talk to me. I - I didn't think it'd - that he'd -"

"Get out," Jeongguk hissed.

Taehyung lifted a weak hand to hold off the fuming maknae. "It's okay, jagi. Hyung was just trying to help."

Seokjin gazed at him sadly, "I'm sorry, Taehyungie. I shouldn't have -"

Taehyung shot him a look that stopped his sentence. "It's fine, hyung."

"Okay, apologies are done," Jeongguk snapped. "Get out, Seokjin. Let me clean up your mess."

Seokjin's head fell and he disappeared, the door clicking shut behind him.

Taehyung frowned at Jeongguk. "That was disrespectful. Go apologize."

Jeongguk stood and stroked a hand through the elder's long black hair. "He -"

"Is your hyung and deserves to be treated as such," Taehyung cut him off with a withering glower. "Go apologize, Kookie. Don't make me tell you again."

Sometimes being the maknae was a royal pain in the ass. Rolling his eyes immaturely, Jeongguk left the bathroom in search of the eldest member.

"Hyung?" he approached the man in question, who was prodding at the last bit of his toast in the kitchen.

He looked up, mumbling, "I really didn't mean to. I didn't - I had no idea what was going on. I thought he was just being stubborn. I thought -"

Jeongguk sat across from him. "I was disrespectful, hyung. I'm sorry. I was just mad, but Taehyung-hyung is right. You were just trying to help."

Seokjin nodded, heaving a deep breath. "I'm sorry too."

With that, Jeongguk stood and moved around the table to wrap the eldest in a quick hug. "I'm going to stay back today with Taehyung-hyung if that's okay. I don't want him going to the studio, and I don't trust that he'll properly rest without a babysitter."