Rub His Back | A JJK Sickfic

chapter four: take him to the ER (part 1)

summary:

Jungkook needs a doctor.
Sejin-nim takes forever.
American hospitals are different.  

____

The thing about being poisoned by food, or by anything, is that your body rejects what you put in it for a while.

Jungkook's digestive system is all exit signs about ingesting anything . Way too soon, his body says, as he clenches his fists around the blanket wrapped loosely around his waist and struggles through another mouthful. But Jin doesn't know that. Jin just desperately wants—no, needs —Jungkook to get something nourishing into his body.

"Can't do anymore, hy—."

Hyung gets lost in a rather convulsive swallow before he shuts his mouth. Jungkook's voice is quiet and quaking. Jin can see from his jawline that he's clenching his teeth. He sets Jungkook's bowl of steaming porridge down on his lap.

"Try, baby," he encourages, brushing bangs away and resting his hand on the back of the maknae's neck with a deep frown on his face. He's still so warm. "Some food in your system might actually make you feel better." But the sick boy just shakes his head in defeat.

Jungkook is a strong kid. On a normal day, he can beat Jin at an arm wrestling match a few times in a row, without really trying (which is embarrassing for Jin). He can hoist Taehyung up onto his back and walk around as if he's wearing a backpack. He goes to the gym for fun. He likes to tackle his bandmates to the ground; he always succeeds. They don't call him Muscle Bunny for nothin'. That kind of person needs food to keep that up, and Jungkook does , on a normal day. He ogles (cutely) at anything edible in front of him, on a normal day. You don't ever have to remind Jungkook to eat. Like , ever.

He isn't prone to stomach-illnesses. Even sick, Jungkook seemed to always work up some sort of appetite. Jin always makes soup or porridge for his bandmates when they're sick, and he's usually able to feed Jungkook a whole bowl, at the very least.

But this time around, it's different. Jungkook can't even manage half. Jin isn't used to it.

Feeding him this morning ends up taking longer than he had hoped. Four spoonfuls of porridge and two sips of water brings the maknae down to an unmoving ball at Jin's lap. His face is pressed into the elder's thigh, so nauseous he can't even keep his eyes open. For the first few minutes, Jin touches him carefully, only chancing carding fingers through his hair, cautious that any sudden movement or an increase of pressure might disturb the control Jungkook's so desperately fighting to keep.

It's apparent on his face and in the stiffness of his body that he's struggling to hold it down. Jin can hear him swallowing. He hasn't stopped since choking down that last sip of water. What's only been muted burbles under the blanket is now a loud, groaning, and bubbling organ. It's quite literally upset.

Jin feels Jungkook push himself harder into him, smooshing his face more into Jin's sweatpants, and he whines miserably.

"God, hyung," he breathes, letting out a tight sigh into the fabric of Jin's bottoms before pressing his lips together quickly. Poor thing can't even manage a full breath before needing to swallow again. "I-I don't feel good. This feels so bad."

Jin makes long shushing noises, lifting his hand to move to Jungkook's covered back, drawing his nails along his spine.

"I know, baby. I know it's bad."

Jungkook tries to concentrate on the way Jin is trying to soothe him, on the light trails of fingers on his skin.

It's a few agonizing minutes of this, staying perfectly still on the couch— of Jungkook taking careful breaths and trying not to burp himself into a heaving fit and Jin touching with very, very delicate hands—as they wait to see if Jungkook's stomach will go easy on him.