Twisted Life, Thorny Love

15. Don't wanna die yet

Jungkook glared at the mug of water Jin held in front of him. "Kook, come on! It's just water for god's sake!" Jin pleaded for the hundredth time. Just like the previous ninety-nine attempts, Jungkook simply, wordlessly glared at the mug. 

There was no way he was going to drink that water. He knew for sure that they would have mixed something in it. He bent closer to the mug and noticed the haziness in it. The water wasn't as transparent as it should be. He looked up and glared at Jin. 

"I didn't put anything here, Kook! I swear! It's just water! Plain water" Jin said. "Kookie-ah. I was there with hyung all the time! He really didn't put anything in it! Drink it, please! Or do you wanna have some soup? Or porridge? You gotta eat something!" Yoongi pleaded him. 

Jungkook frowned at Yoongi. He had no energy to actually open his mouth and talk, but he was sure they would put something in them as well. 

He was already using up all of his energy in trying to sit up. Jin noticed how the hands that he had placed behind himself to support his torso were shaking from the lack of energy. 

Just as he predicted, his elbows buckled and he fell back with a grunt, almost passing out from the impact. "Woah, woah, Jungkook!!" Namjoon and Taehyung ran to support him. 

Jin looked at Yoongi and they silently agreed not to go on with convincing Jungkook anymore. They decided to do it their way. Jin brought out a tablet and asked Namjoon and Taehyung to sit him up again. 

"Joon, hold his hands. Yoongi, you hold his legs. Tae, close his nose on the coun-" he was cut off by a loud sob. "I don't want to die, hyung! I need to take care of Junha! Please don't do this to me!" Jungkook cried loudly. Taehyung stared at him with wide eyes. 

'Is he that afraid of tablets??' he thought. 

It took everything Jin and Yoongi had to stop themselves from bursting into tears. Here Jungkook was, not even in a position to sit up on his own, but stubborn as hell about taking medicine. 

"Jungkookie, how are you gonna take care of Junha if you fall sick like this? You even forgot to give him dinner last night, didn't you?" Jin asked softly, voice slightly breaking at the end. "I'll get better, hyung! I promise! I'll get better! But don't kill me, please! I love Junha, I don't wanna die" Jungkook cried again, this time panting from the effort of talking without any energy in his body. 

"You are burning up, Kook! Your temperature is 39.5! The only reason we didn't take you to a hospital is because we didn't want you to wake up and freak out over there. If you don't listen to us now, we will forcefully take you to a hospital" Yoongi said. Jungkook's eyes widened at that. 

"Hy-Hyung.......please...." he whispered, unable to bring his voice out anymore. "I don't wanna die yet" he said. They had to bend forward to understand what he was trying to say. 

"Jungkook, fever tablets won't kill you! How many times should we tell you? They WON'T kill you, you idiot!" Namjoon scolded, unable to take it anymore. 

He hated to see his otherwise strong best friend brought down by some falsely created fear in his mind. 

"It WILL kill me, hyung! I know it! I WILL DIE!!" Jungkook yelled. "YOU WON'T DIE!! FEVER MEDICINES WON'T KILL ANYO-" "JENNIE DIED BECAUSE OF THEM, DIDN'T SHE?? SHE DIED BECAUSE OF THEM AND JUNHA DOESN'T HAVE A MOM BECAUSE OF THAT!!" Jungkook yelled, panting hard by the time he finished yelling. 

He panted hard for a couple seconds before his eyes rolled back into his head and he slumped against Taehyung and Namjoon's hands, his already non-existent energy spent up in yelling at them. 

Yoongi broke down. Jin turned towards Namjoon. "We can't let this go. He is seriously burning up. 39.5 is not a joke. We either have to bring it down with medicines here, or we have to take him to a hospital" he said. 

"No. Not a hospital. Let's do it here" Yoongi said. "Why not?" Taehyung asked. "A few things happened to make him shit scared of tablets and hospitals. He has heard enough bad news from hospitals to form an opinion that hospitals only declare illnesses and death, which is true, but you understand, right?" Yoongi tried to explain without actually giving any details. 

"Yeah, I get it" Taehyung said, frowning as he looked at Jungkook, who stayed limp in his hands. 

"So should we just slowly force that mug of water down his throat? Let's see if he's gonna swallow them or not. If he doesn't, we can think of something else" Namjoon suggested. "Okay, let's see" Jin said and brought the mug of water that he tried to give Jungkook earlier. 

"How many did you put in it?" Taehyung asked. "Two" Jin said, holding Jungkook's face with his left hand and pressing so that his mouth opened. He slowly tipped the mug into the mouth and waited to see whether his apple bobbed or the water dribbled out. 

They sighed in relief as his apple bobbed up and down, signalling that he was swallowing it unconsciously. While Jin slowly made him drink the whole mug, Hoseok and Jimin returned with the kids. 

Junha looked at his dad, who was sleeping and being supported by Taehyung and Namjoon, while Jin poured water in his mouth. 

"Papa" he called out and tried to get close to him. "Woah, woah, Junha, stay with Uncle Jiminie, okay? We'll go to your room and play" Jimin said, signaling Hoseok to get Dohyeon to the guest room, where Junha had all of his toys in a huge basket. 

"Can you take him to the bedroom?" Jin asked Namjoon once he finished making him drink the tablet-filled water. "Yup, I guess" Namjoon said, wrapping his arms around Jungkook's back and knees and lifting him up bridal-style. 

"Damn, I can feel how sick he is" Namjoon said. "Yeahh" Yoongi said as he followed Jin and Namjoon with Jungkook's blanket. Taehyung simply followed, not knowing what to do. 

"Hyung, should I just stay with him today?" he suddenly asked as Namjoon tucked Jungkook in the bed. "You mean you'll stay here tonight until he gets better?" Jin asked. 

"Yeah. He is not gonna take the tablets on his own, right? At least someone should take care of him. Also, Junha has to be controlled as well" Taehyung said. 

"Yeah, you are right. We'll stay here till the evening. Hobi, Yoongi and Jimin, do you have any plans?" Namjoon asked. 

"Umm...I was actually going to meet my girlfriend this evening" Hoseok said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Hey, you don't have to feel embarrassed! You go! What about you both?" Jin asked Yoongi and Jimin. 

The two of them looked at each other before shaking their heads. 

"Yah! We can clearly see that you had plans. You guys go, it's okay. Three of us are there. We'll take care of him and the kids" Namjoon said. 

"Y-You sure?" Jimin asked. "I mean, I would never leave my cousin like this, but we were going to shop for the wedding today" Yoongi said. 

"Ommo! Then go already! We will take care of these guys" Namjoon said, kicking Yoongi's butt and pushing him out of the door. Jimin chuckled as he felt Jin push him out of the door. "Hobi, we are excusing you this time because Kookie is sick. But next time, if you don't introduce your girlfriend to us, I'll bury you into pig's shit, man!" Jin warned. 

"Woah, gross! Sure, man! I don't wanna smell like pig's shit for the rest of my life!" he said. "Good boy. Now go, you three" Namjoon said.

"Okay, bye" the three of them said and left, leaving the remaining three to play with the kids and order takeout as they waited for Jungkook to wake up.