「sunlight 」 j.jk ✞ p.jm

六

6 : hoseok van helsing

Jimin used the tree to push himself upwards. Vertigo struck him immediately, and he collapsed onto the ground again. He rested his head against the trunk and closed his eyes. His breath came out labored and his head continued to swim.

Help... His fatigued mind managed to pass that single thought through the rest of his body. Jimin reached a hand into his pocket and fumbled around until his cell phone slipped out. He opened his eyes, seeing only darkness, and groped around the grass for it. His hand brushed over something wet and sticky.

Pulling it close enough so he could see, Jimin found a smear of blood across his palm. As he stared at it, his thoughts snapped together, his brain slowly building up to its regular performance.

Jeongguk... bit me... he tried to... Jimin moved his hand down to his chest, then continued to the hem of his pants.

Nausea. Fear. Betrayal. Above all, sadness. Jimin pulled his legs in and rested his head on his knees, tears falling from his eyes. His best friend had almost taken advantage of him. Even if he hadn't been in the right state of mind, Jimin felt violated. If he hadn't fought back, how far would Jeongguk have gone?

Jimin didn't understand. Jeongguk had said friendship was the most powerful magic of all. Then why did he attack his own friends? Was the vampire influence really that powerful?

There were too many emotions building inside Jimin. He wanted to punch Jeongguk in the face, and at the same time, hold onto him and tell him it was going to be okay. He wanted to lie down and cry, but also get up and run after his wayward friend.

His exhausted body prevented him from fulfilling most of those actions. Having the blood sucked out of you really... sucked. Jimin moved his fingers up to the bite mark, finding a trail of blood running down his neck. He wiped it on his sleeve, then reached down for his phone again.

Some of his blood smeared the screen when he picked it up, but it was nothing a quick wipe on his blouse couldn't fix. The light it emitted upon turning on nearly blinded Jimin. He held it as far from his face as he could while he scrolled through his contacts. He selected Namjoon's number and pulled the phone to his ear.

"Jimin!" Namjoon screeched through the phone, making Jimin almost regret his choice. "Are you okay? Where are you?"

"I'm—" The words stopped before they could fully form. He wasn't okay—he was far from okay. But how did he tell his friends that? He couldn't. Not like this at least. "I'm somewhere in the Forest."

With his vision back, Jimin could make out the dense foliage surrounding his. He was in a small clearing, with just enough room for two people to get intimate. Above him, the north star shone through a gap in the trees.

"What? The forest?" Namjoon swore loudly. "Okay, just hang on. Seokjin has gas again, so we're on our way. Are you hurt? Did Jeongguk bite you?"

Jimin's hand moved back to his neck. "Y-yeah... he bit me a little," he said quietly.

"Are you okay?"

A lump grew in Jimin's throat. Namjoon's concern was too much. "Just hurry," he choked out before ending the call. He curled his knees up, burying his face in them.

"I'm so sorry."

Jimin bit his lip, but was unable to stop the building sobs. Eventually, he gave up and cried silently. "Jeongguk... how could you?"

******

Hoseok's body swerved along with the van, leaning into the turn instead of fighting against it. Seokjin could really put the pedal to the metal when he needed to.