delicate

utterly devastated

yoongi sits in the waiting room, back aching from the amount of time spent in the stiff, plastic chair. his elbows rest on his knees, his head in his hands, blue hair falling at odd angles. he has been sitting in the same position for a while now, stressed beyond all belief. three hours. that's how long it has been since he has arrived at the hospital, and each moment there has been torturous for him. the clock on the wall opposite him reads two thirty-four in the morning. despite this, there is not a trace of fatigue in his body. he's terrified, not knowing when a doctor will step forth, beholding news of his best friend.

a gentle hand rubs at his back, trying to soothe the man. seokjin has given up on trying to get his boyfriend to speak. yoongi had ignored him each time he tried to check on him when they first arrived. all the pink-haired man can do is sit and wait, hoping that his other half doesn't have to wait much longer.

the younger of the two has yet to shed the tears building up behind his eyes. he's determined, not wanting to show how vulnerable he feels in this moment. sitting, waiting, watching, every moment feels like an eternity to him. he can't remember another time where he felt so scared, so in pain.

he removes one of his hands from his face, moving it to lay across seokjin's thigh. the older intertwines their fingers, hoping to bring comfort to his boyfriend. he reaches over with his free hand to sweep the smaller's hair out of his eyes. the couple meets eyes for the first time since they've arrived at the hospital, and seokjin is left heartbroken by yoongi's expression. his eyes are heavy and dull. despair pours from his dark irises, infecting the air with the suffocating emotion.

seokjin pulls the younger into his embrace, and, finally, yoongi allows himself to fall apart. he sobs into the older's shoulder, no longer able to suppress his emotions. he cries until he has no tears left, until his throat is dry and his head is throbbing. seokjin holds him the entire time, letting yoongi know that he is not alone, that everything is going to be okay. even once his eyes have dried, yoongi remains, unmoving, head buried in seokjin's shoulder. he sits there and he waits once again, his heart beating fast and his thoughts running rampant.

it's almost three fifteen when a doctor appears at the end of the brightly lit hallway, asking to see those associated with jeon jungguk. both waiting men are anxious, wanting to hear only good words leave the messenger's mouth. yoongi takes hold of seokjin's hand as they rise to meet the doctor. he's unable to control his shaking, and the presence of his boyfriend, for the first time, provides no comfort.

"are you family of jeon jungguk?"

"uh- he doesn't have any. we're his roommates. i'm his emergency contact, min yoongi." the small man fails to keep his voice steady as he speaks.

"very well. i assume you are aware of what happened?"

"we just know he was hit by a car, the woman who called didn't say much else."

"mr. jeon was crossing a street about ten minutes from here when an unidentified driver ran the light. it was a direct hit. he suffered an injury to his spinal cord. i hate to have to inform you that, as of now, jungguk does not have use of his lower body." the doctor pauses, allowing the two men to process what he said.

"w-what?" it takes a few seconds for yoongi to actually register what is being said, his throat becoming dry and his mind feeling cluttered. of all the things that could have been brought to him by the tall man in white, it has to be paralysis.

jungguk is someone who is known for being strong, both physically and mentally. with a bright future ahead of him in martial arts, yoongi's heart can't help but falter at the thought of the youngers dreams falling to bits in a matter of seconds.

"i know that this can be a lot to take in, seeing that you must be like family to him, so i will give you some breathing room for now. if need be, you can go see him, but i'll have you know that you are not going to like what you see." with that, the doctor gives yoongi a gentle pat on the shoulder before going on his way.

a nurse steps forward, a kind smile painted on her lips, and guides an anxious yoongi, still clinging to his boyfriend, in the direction of jungguk's room. yoongi's heart picks up speed as they walk down the hall. to say that he's terrified to see his younger friend would be an understatement.

yoongi's chest tightens once they stand outside the door marked 108, and he has to fight to hold back his tears when it opens into the white-walled room. in the center of the room is a single bed with three chairs beside it, and on that bed lays jeon jungguk. the sight of the boy breaks yoongi's heart. the twenty-one-year-old is pale, unmoving, his eyes fluttered shut. an assortment of tubes run from machines and into his arm, his body is stiff and his hair is unkempt.

yoongi slowly trudges his feet over to the younger's bedside, his hand over his mouth to cover the choked up sobs that threaten to spill out. he stops near the left side of the bed, overlooking jungguk as he lays motionless. the only reassuring sounds he hears are the constant beat of the heart monitor and his slow, yet steady, breathing.

seokjin rests a comforting hand on yoongi's shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. he knows this is going to be tough for him, after all, they are like brothers. having to watch his body shudder and hear him bawl before him, not able to do much about it, makes his heart crack. it is absolutely unbearable.

yoongi takes a deep breath before closing the remainder of the gap between himself and his friend's bed, taking hold of jungguk's colorless hand. the lack of warmth from the younger's hand made him flinch. it was almost as if he wasn't alive at all, and yet, here he was. regardless, he still kept a firm grip. just knowing he was there, that he was actually within arm's length, was enough for the time being.

yoongi finds himself to be utterly devastated. he knows that jungguk will never be the same energetic boy that he was before, and that thought becomes more and more painful as the seconds pass. he never imagined he would be in this position, his best friend unresponsive and cold.

jin stands at a distance, watching sadly as his boyfriend clings to jungguk's hand as if it's his lifeline. it isn't often that yoongi expresses his pain, meaning it's all the more painful to jin when he does. silence takes hold as the two men observe the unconscious boy with sorrowful eyes. their hearts break at the sight of the boy.

neither of them had noticed the lingering presence of a nurse until she spoke, addressing them with a cautious voice.

"i assume you were informed of his condition?" their heads snap in the woman's direction, and a moment passes before jin nods. "doctor lee doesn't like to tell people this, because it tends to get their hopes up, but there's a chance he could get better."

"how?" yoongi's eyes glimmer, more than ready to hear what the nurse has to say.

"it won't be easy, and it certainly won't be free, but if he works hard enough, i know someone who can help him. his name is kim taehyung, he's worked with paralysis before, if you want, i can give you his contact information."

"that'd be awesome- i mean- we would really appreciate it. i don't care how much it would cost, i just- i don't want him to have to deal with this his whole life, you know?" yoongi's grip remains firm around jungguk's hand as he speaks. the nurse smiles gently.

"i wish i could tell you that he'll make a full recovery, but that's nearly impossible. the most i can get you is that maybe one day he'll be able to walk again. tae is excellent at what he does, really, but he's no miracle worker. it'll take a long time, maybe years, for him to get back on his feet. you'll need to be patient, and you can't give up."

jin looks over to yoongi and sees the firm determination planted in his eyes. the eldest's lips curve slightly upwards as he thinks, just maybe, everything would be all right.

------------

chapter one is finally here, it only took us seven years. 

reminder that this account had two different authors so if there's a switch in writing style it means that it was a switch in writers.

hope everyone enjoys it.

~caitie