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Jungkook closed his eyes against the warm morning sunlight while he waited for Jimin to come back to the table with their food. The weather was especially mild for late March, and the members intended to make the most of it. They were between tours, between albums and promotions. They never got much time to relax in their line of work, but now that they were between their usual schedules, they had been given a few days free from responsibility. They weren’t expected at the studio, in the practice room, or at an interview or photo shoot. Even Yoongi was taking a well-deserved break. He was leaving for Daegu in the morning. Jin was already gone to see his own family. Jungkook had considered going home as well, but their three-day vacation really wasn’t long enough for him to have time to travel to Busan and back and spend a decent amount of quality time with his parents. Instead, Jungkook planned to sleep as much as possible and eat his weight in ramyeon. At least, that had been his plan until Jimin had woken him up early that morning and asked him if he wanted to have breakfast together.
“Wake up! The breakfast fairy is here!” Jimin sang, announcing his return. He set down a large tray laden with food - kimbap, tteokguk, guksu noodles, individually wrapped sweet buns, coffee for Jimin, and two cartons of banana milk for Jungkook.
“You don't have to be so obvious,” Jungkook complained with a smile. He looked discretely around, but no one seemed to notice that they were having coffee next to celebrities.
“It’s okay,” said Jimin as he took his seat across from Jungkook. “No one can see us past this.” He pointed to the tall potted plant at the end of their table. “Now say, ‘Thank you, hyung!’”
Jungkook reached over and stole a rice ball from Jimin’s plate and stuffed it in his mouth. “Thank you, hyung!”
“You’re such a brat,” Jimin laughed, shaking his head. “It’s good, isn’t it?” He put another of his riceballs on Jungkook’s plate. “Do you want to try my coffee?”
“I don't like coffee,” Jungkook said but took a sip from the cup Jimin passed him. Jimin laughed as he screwed up his face at the bitter flavor. He took a long drink of his banana milk to drown out the taste. “How can you drink that? It’s disgusting.”
“It’s just coffee,” Jimin said through a mouthful of bread. “You’re such a child.”
“Taehyung doesn’t like coffee either.”
“Tae’s a child, too.”
“You should have asked Namjoonie to go with you then,” Jungkook retorted. “He would drink coffee with you.”
“No, he and Taehyungie are going to go ride bikes today. I think Hoseok-hyung and Yoongi-hyung are just staying home, but they were still sleeping when I got up.”
“I was sleeping, and you didn’t have any problems waking me up,” Jungkook pointed out.
“Yeah, but you’re not scary when you wake up. You’re just cute.”
Jungkook pouted. “So you’re saying I should be scarier.”
“You’re plenty scary. You could beat up any of us if you really wanted to.”
Jungkook smiled, satisfied with the answer, and resumed slurping up his noodles. Though they ate at a leisurely pace, the food disappeared quickly. Jimin stacked their trash and empty plates back on the tray.
“I’m so full,” he said. “Did you get enough?”
“Mm,” Jungkook sighed, rubbing his full belly.
“I wish we could go to the studio and work some of this off,” said Jimin, “but they’re finishing putting in the floor for the practice room this weekend.”
“I’ll be glad when it’s done.”
“Me too. It’s going to look so nice.”
Jungkook was sure the new dance studio would look nice, but mostly he was just tired of the construction. Since BTS was doing so well and had gotten so popular, Big Hit could afford to make renovation and update the company headquarters. The new dance studio was twice as big as their old one and would be completely white once the floors were done. Enough of the practice room had been completed that they could use it, but without the tile in place, the concrete slab underneath was uneven and rough, making turns and floor work uncomfortable. The drywall and plaster, while now finished, still caused Jungkook’s asthma to flare up more often than usual. Once the floors were finished and the construction was done, he wouldn’t have to worry about that anymore.
Outside, Jimin stretched his arms over his head and stood up on tiptoe so that he was almost the same height as the younger boy. “It feels so good outside! I wish the fine dust would stay away and it would feel like this all day.”
“There’s supposed to be fine dust today?” Jungkook asked, peering up at the clear blue sky. It didn’t seem likely.
“Yeah. The weather said later on this afternoon or evening. Namjoon-hyung and Taehyungie should be home by then.”
Jungkook nodded, patting down his pockets absently. Fine dust always aggravated his asthma and even thinking about it now made his chest feel a little tighter.
“Do you have any plans for the rest of the day? I thought maybe we could go shopping or something. What are you doing?” Jimin asked, noticing the casual yet repetitive way Jungkook was searching his pockets.
“Hmm? Oh. Looking for my inhaler.”
“Crap. You’re having an asthma attack?” Jimin suddenly looked serious. Jungkook’s attacks didn’t happen often and were rarely severe, but they freaked Jimin out more than they did the others. He hated seeing the strong, moderately self-reliant maknae brought low by his own body. He hated that there wasn’t anything he could do to stop it.
“No, not really,” Jungkook said. “It’s just a little tight.”
“Do you need to sit down?” Jimin suggested, now too checking his pockets for Jungkook’s inhaler. He kept a backup one in his gym bag, but he hadn’t thought to grab it that morning.
“No, I’m okay.” Jungkook took a deep breath to show that he still could. “I think I left my inhaler at home, though.”
“Jungkook,” Jimin admonished though his words held no heat. “You know better than that.”
“Sorry, hyung. I can still breathe okay. We can go shopping if you want.”
“Not without your inhaler. We can go home and grab it. Just wait a minute, and I’ll get us a cab.”
Jungkook huffed and incredulous laugh that didn’t help the tightness in his chest. “We’re only a few blocks from the dorm. I’m not dying. I can walk.”
Jimin looked reluctant but relented like he always did when Jungkook wanted something. “Fine, but put this on.” He unhooked his pollution mask from around his ears and gave it to Jungkook. “You didn’t bring one. You know the dust makes it worse.”
Jungkook managed to keep from rolling his eyes but put the mask on, not bothering to say that the covering over his nose and mouth made the suffocating worse, not better. Despite Jungkook’s assurances that he was fine, Jimin insisted that they walk slowly so Jungkook didn’t have to breathe too hard and kept his hand on Jungkook’s lower back the entire way home. The walk to the dorm was short, but Jungkook’s chest got tighter and tighter as time went on. By the time they got home, the maknae was definitely uncomfortable, but the asthma attack was actually still quite mild.
The dorm was quiet when they arrived. Namjoon and Taehyung obviously were out, but Yoongi and Hoseok could be heard laughing in Yoongi’s room. Jimin pushed Jungkook down on the couch. “You sit. I’ll get the inhaler. Where is it?”
Jungkook stood up and pushed Jimin down instead. “Just let me get it. It’ll be faster that way.”
Jimin trailed behind him as went to his room and rummaged around in his closet for his inhaler. He easily found the red and white device in the pocket of the hoodie he’d worn the day before and took a quick puff. The faint tightness in his chest dissipated almost immediately. He turned to find Jimin lying on the bottom bunk of the bed with his feet tucked under the pillow.
“You okay?” the dancer asked.
“Yeah. I told you I was fine.” He sat on the edge of the mattress, and Jimin turned on his side to make room for him. “Do you still want to go somewhere?”
Jimin sighed. “I did, but I laid down and I think I’m too full to get up.” Jungkook laughed, and Jimin tried to move over more and patted the empty space. “Lie down with me. We’ll be fat together.”
“No, I can’t. If I lie down, I’ll go to sleep.”
“So what?” Jimin grinned. “Just don't tell Namjoonie-hyung that I put my feet on his pillow.”
“I’ll tell him tomorrow morning,” Jungkook teased. “After he gets foot face.”
“Foot face,” Jimin repeated, laughing so hard tears came to his eyes. “He’ll kill me.”
“You deserve it for waking me up early then coming back and taking a nap. We could have just slept in!” Jungkook complained.
“I’m not taking a nap,” Jimin argued. “I’m just too full to move. We can go shopping after I’ve had a chance to digest. Nothing I tried on would fit me anyway if we went now.”
Jungkook poked Jimin’s stomach, laughing. If he wasn’t going to use his time off to sleep, Jungkook could at least have some fun with the new editing software recently got, but as he moved towards the little desk in the corner of the room where he kept his laptop, Jimin snagged his wrist. “What?”
“Are you really not going to lay down with me?” Jimin asked.
“No.”
Jimin pouted and tugged on Jungkook’s arm before pushing him away. “Go get my book, then. It’s on my nightstand.”
“You go get it,” Jungkook said.
“No,” Jimin whined. “I’m too comfortable to move.”
“You’re being a baby,” Jungkook laughed even as he went to do what Jimin told him. Once Jungkook had retrieved the book, the pair settled into a comfortable silence. After a while, Jungkook noticed that the tightness had crept back into his chest.
Jimin glanced up at him but didn’t say anything as Jungkook was forced to use his inhaler again. Sometimes Jungkook needed a couple of puffs to keep the asthma at bay, so he didn’t think anything of it when the boy put the device back in his mouth and took a couple more breaths from it. He lost track of time as he became engrossed in his novel and didn’t notice that Jungkook had to keep using his inhaler.
A couple of hours had passed before Jungkook truly realized something was wrong. He never really needed to use the inhaler this much in so short a time. Every time he used it, the tightness would release slightly and stay away for a few minutes before coming back a little worse than before. It was easily ignorable at first, but now the discomfort had gone from mild and barely noticeable to a full-blown attack. He needed to tell someone what was going on. One of the rules that had been established since his last serious asthma attack was that he had to tell one of the members or managers whenever he had an attack. He spun his chair around to let Jimin know he wasn’t feeling well, but Jimin now had his book draped over his face and his soft snores rustled the pages.
Instead of waking Jimin up, Jungkook knocked on Yoongi’s door.
“Come in,” Hoseok called. Jungkook entered to find Yoongi and Hoseok lying on Yoongi’s bed, apparently scrolling through their phones. Hoseok sat up and smiled at him. “What’s up?” the dancer asked. Yoongi didn’t look up but took his headphones off to hang them around his neck.
Jungkook got right to the point. “I’ve been having an asthma attack.”
“Singular or plural?” Yoongi asked, look up from his phone.
“Huh?”
“One asthma attack or several?”
“One? But it’s been a really long one.”
“How long?” Hoseok asked, beckoning the maknae into the room.
“Like three hours.”
“What? Really?” Hoseok asked, his eyebrows so high they nearly disappeared into his hairline.
“Are you still having it?” Yoongi asked. He was already looking up asthma treatments on his phone.
“Yes.”
“What have you been doing? Where’s Jimin?” Hoseok asked as Yoongi asked, "Have you tried lying down? It says you should lie down.”
“He fell asleep in my room,” Jungkook answered. “I haven’t been doing anything. I’ve just been on the computer.” Jungkook lay down on Jin’s vacant bed. Typically asthma attacks left Jungkook feeling exhausted and sore and resting or even napping for a little while helped. However, the horizontal position he was in now only made things worse. It was difficult to tell if it was the asthma that was making his chest so tight while he was lying down or if it was just the anxiety that something was wrong.
Hoseok sat down next to him and rubbed his chest. “Your heart is beating so hard.”
“You need to try to relax,” Yoongi said, which only made Jungkook more nervous.
“I am trying.”
“Shut your eyes,” said Hoseok. He cupped his hand over Jungkook’s eyes to force them closed. “Try to sleep. You’ll feel better when you wake up.”
Jungkook took a deep breath to try to relax, but the air wouldn’t come. He took another puff of the medication. It didn’t help. He could feel his hyungs staring at him. His heart was in his throat. He squirmed uncomfortably and tried to find a better position that would allow him to breathe.
“I’ll get him some water,” Yoongi muttered, and Jungkook heard him walk away.
Hoseok moved his hand down to cup the side of his neck. Jungkook knew he was just trying to comfort him, but Jungkook felt like the light pressure on his throat was choking him. He brushed Hoseok’s hand off but intertwined their fingers so Hoseok could still do something to make him feel better.
“This isn’t working,” Jungkook said, opening his eyes. The room was too hot, and he felt like he might throw up.
“Give it a chance,” Hoseok tried to reassure him, but Jungkook shook his head.
“I can’t breathe.” He got back up and paced the narrow space between the two beds, trying to catch his breath. He could feel sweat breaking out under his arms and along his upper lip. He wiped his face with the back of his hand.
Hoseok watched him as he paced. “Are you okay?”
“No,” Jungkook admitted. His inhaler didn’t seem to be doing anything for him anymore and his chest felt tighter than ever. Now that he had told his hyungs what was happening, his body seemed to respond by getting worse faster. He stopped his pacing and put his head back to get more air through.
“Do you want to go to the hospital?” Hoseok asked.
“No.” He wasn’t convinced a hospital trip was completely necessary yet. He didn’t want to spend his valuable free time in a waiting room or worse, in a hospital bed. If he could just stay home, he would.
Yoongi returned with a glass of water. “Here. Sip it.”
Jungkook took the water with steady hands. “Lying down wasn’t helping,” he heard Hoseok say as he took a drink. The water helped cool him down but sent a wave of panic through him as he struggled to get enough air to swallow comfortably. He felt like he was drowning. He managed a few mouthfuls before he spluttered.
Yoongi pounded on his back as he coughed, and Hoseok grabbed the glass back before he could drop it. “You’re okay,” Yoongi said, but he wasn’t. He wasn’t okay. He couldn’t breathe. Yoongi pressed the inhaler into Jungkook’s hand. “Here.”
Jungkook ignored it. It wasn’t doing anything for him. He buried his mouth into the crook of his arm and sank onto the bed. The coughing continued long after all the water was cleared from his throat. Yoongi stopped hitting his back and was instead just watching him, waiting for him to stop while Hoseok kept his hand on Jungkook’s knee in a silent show of support. Eventually, Jungkook’s diaphragm calmed long enough for him take short, quick breaths without coughing. Hyperventilating was unpleasant, but it was better than coughing. “I’m all right,” Jungkook choked.
“Just sit for a moment,” Hoseok said, but Jungkook had already started to get to his feet. As soon as he was standing, his eyes rolled back in his head as he fainted.
He fell forward into Yoongi’s chest. The rapper swore and tried to catch him, but he hadn’t expected it and Jungkook was quite a bit bigger than he was. Yoongi managed to slow and cushion the maknae’s fall as they both fell to the floor.
“Are you okay?” Hoseok screeched, scrambling to Yoongi’s side.
“Fine,” Yoongi bit out though he wasn’t sure if he was talking to him or Jungkook. “Help me with him.”
There wasn’t much room to work in the narrow spaces between the beds where Yoongi and Jungkook had fallen, but Hoseok managed to assist without stepping on anyone. With Hoseok minding the unconscious boy’s head, Yoongi gently pushed Jungkook off him onto the floor.
“Jungkook,” Yoongi called. “Wake up.”
There was no response even when the older boys rolled him onto his back. Jungkook’s head lolled lifelessly to the side. His breathing was shallow and too fast, and a disconcerting, high-pitched wheeze escaped from between his gently parted lips. The pulse Yoongi found in his neck was quick but strong. The rapper allowed himself a split second of panic before taking a steadying breath and getting to work.
“Jimin!” Yoongi yelled over his shoulder, startling Hoseok. “Jimin! Get in here!”
“What can I do?” Hoseok asked, wringing his hands.
“Hold his feet up,” Yoongi instructed. “We need to get the blood back to his head.”
Hoseok hiked Jungkook’s feet up, not so much that it would be uncomfortable for the boy, but hopefully enough to help him wake up. He could feel his heart hammering in his chest. Jungkook should not be so silent, should not be limp on the floor. He had seen Jungkook’s asthma attacks before, but the maknae had never fainted like this in front of him.
The dancer jumped as Jimin burst through the door. The younger boy’s already wide eyes got even bigger as he took in the scene before him. “Oh my God! What happened?”
“Fainted,” Yoongi grunted. “Asthma attack. Call Sejin-hyung and tell him we need a ride to the hospital.”
Jimin ran to comply. Hoseok asked, “Wouldn’t an ambulance be faster?”
“No,” Yoongi decided. “That would cause a scene. Jungkook wouldn’t like that.” Yoongi turned back to the maknae. “Jungkook,” he called again. Jungkook’s eyelids fluttered but didn’t open. “Come on, kid.” He looked around for something to fan him with and spotted the glass of water. “Sorry about this.” Yoongi shielded Jungkook’s nose and mouth with his hand and dumped the water over Jungkook’s face.
Jungkook’s eyes flew open but were unfocused as the stared at the ceiling as he coughed.
“Kookie!” Hoseok called, relieved, and started to set Jungkook’s feet down, but Yoongi waved at him to stop.
“Not yet. He’s not all the way back yet.” Yoongi kept his voice low and even, though all he wanted to do was yell and get Jungkook’s attention. However, he knew the boy wouldn’t respond well to that while he was in this state. His eyes were glassy like he had a fever, and his mouth hung open as he tried to suck in breaths that wouldn’t just leave him gasping for air. As far as Yoongi could tell, Jungkook wasn’t aware of his surroundings yet. “Jungkook, I need you to focus, okay? Look at me. You’re okay.”
Jungkook wasn’t sure what was going on. He was lightheaded. His chest ached and his head hurt. He felt water drip down the side of his face, but he didn’t know why he was wet. He could hear people talking around him, but he couldn’t make sense of the conversation. He recognized who was talking, though. He latched onto that. “Hyung.” He furrowed his eyebrows at the sound of his own voice. It was whiny and thin and didn’t sound anything like he usually did.
Yoongi gave him a tight smile as Jungkook’s gaze finally wandered over to his face. “That’s right. Hyung’s here. We’re getting you taken care of.”
“I don't feel good,” Jungkook said. He felt like crying, but his throat was too tight for that.
“I know,” someone said. He thought it was weird that Yoongi hadn’t moved his mouth. Jungkook stared at him, confused, until Yoongi pointed and Jungkook followed his direction to see Hoseok holding up his feet. Jungkook whined and pulled his legs away from Hoseok’s grasp. His heels thudded loudly against the floor. His head was spinning and for a moment he thought he might vomit.
“What happened?” he asked.
“You passed out,” Yoongi explained. There wasn’t any emotion in his voice, which Jungkook found strangely grounding.
“I did?”
Yoongi shared a look with Hoseok but was spared from answering as Jimin came back. “The manager’s on his way. He’ll be here in five minutes.”
“Good,” Yoongi said. “Do you want to try sitting up?” he asked Jungkook.
“Is he awake?” Jimin asked. He came to stand behind Hoseok to get a better look. A huge smile bloomed across his face as Jungkook blinked up at him. “Hey, Kook. How are you feeling?”
Jungkook didn’t answer, focusing instead on not passing out again as Yoongi helped him sit up. He grasped the rapper’s hand hard as he was pulled up into a sitting position. His head lolled back on his neck, dizzy at the change.
Yoongi leaned him against the side of the bed. Jungkook was breathing harder now, but at least he wasn’t wheezing anymore. His face was too pale and there was a faint blue tint to his lips. “You alright?”
Jungkook nodded. “I’m wet.”
Yoongi pushed Jungkook’s dripping bangs back. “Yeah. Hyung’s sorry about that. We needed you to wake up.”
“I’ll get him a towel,” Hoseok offered and disappeared into the bathroom.
Jimin moved closer, squatting down beside Jungkook and taking his hand. “What’s going on with you, huh? You think you can cause trouble just because we’re on a break?”
“He’s being dramatic,” Yoongi joined in the teasing.
Jungkook smiled, completely exhausted. “Sorry.”
Jimin smiled and leaned in closer to Jungkook to peck his cheek. “Don't be sorry. It’s okay. You’re okay.”
Hoseok returned and handed Jimin a towel. “Did you tell Namjoon yet?”
“Not yet,” Jimin said and began drying Jungkook’s face and hair as gently as he could.
“I’ll call him and have him meet us at the hospital,” Yoongi said.
This was the first Jungkook heard of that plan. “I don't want to go to the hospital,” he complained.
“Too bad, kid,” Yoongi said. “Your lips look like you’ve been eating blue candy and you fainted and fell on me. You’re going to get checked out.”
Jungkook put a hand to his lips. They didn’t feel any different.
“Do you want to tell Jin?” Hoseok asked.
Yoongi raised an eyebrow. “Why? He can’t do anything.”
“He would want to know,” Hoseok insisted.
“Don't tell him,” Jungkook said. All three men looked at him.
“Why don't you want him to know?” Jimin asked. He wrapped the soft towel around Jungkook’s shoulders and rubbed his arms.
“Worry,” Jungkook said. Talking was becoming increasingly difficult. “He’ll worry.”
“He’ll want to worry about this,” Hoseok told him. “He’ll be mad at us if we don't say anything.”
Jungkook shook his head, but his argument was interrupted by a knock at the door.
“That’s probably Sejin-hyung,” Hoseok said. “Come on, Kook-ah. Let’s get ready to go.”
Jungkook kept shaking his head. “Don't want to go.”
“I know you don't, but you have to,” Jimin pleaded. “You can’t breathe and we can’t do anything to help you here. You’ll just faint again, and then what will we do?”
Jungkook pulled his bottom lip between his teeth to keep from crying. Deep down, he knew he was being silly and childish, but he hated the hospital. He just wanted to stay home with his friends where things were familiar and safe.
“Alright, baby. Let’s stand up.” Jimin got up and hauled Jungkook to his feet. The maknae leaned heavily against him, but Jimin didn’t budge at the added weight. “Good job. We’ll take it slow, okay?”
“You got him?” Yoongi asked, coming up to support Jungkook’s other side.
“Yeah, he’s no problem. Huh, Kookie?”
The manager and the boys discussed who would accompany Jungkook to the hospital while they all helped him get ready to leave. He obviously couldn’t go alone, Hoseok argued. He was too out of breath to tell the doctors what had happened and how he was feeling. Sejin managed to convince them that they didn’t all need to go with Jungkook to the hospital, though they all voiced their displeasure with that decision. Instead, Yoongi would come along since he had been the boy’s primary caretaker since his asthma attack took such a dramatic turn. The choice to bring him also could have been based on his position as the eldest member at home and on his ability to stay outwardly calm under pressure. Whatever the reason, no amount of arguing could sway Sejin.
“There’s no time to debate this,” the manager finally said after a moment of complaining. He squatted down and had Jungkook climb onto his back. “You two will stay,” he told Jimin and Hoseok firmly. “Yoongi will come back after Namjoon gets to the hospital.” Neither dance was satisfied with this solution, but they held their tongues as Yoongi followed Sejin and Jungkook out the door to the waiting car.
Both Yoongi and the manager did what they could to keep Jungkook as calm as possible on the way to the hospital. Sejin drove quickly but not recklessly while Yoongi kept up a constant stream of reassurances that everything would be all right, that they wouldn’t have to stay long, that he would be able to go home and sleep off the attack in his own bed. Jungkook, still dazed from his fainting spell and the ongoing attack, couldn’t do much but nod his head every once in a while and squeeze Yoongi’s hand when he started feeling dizzy.
Once they arrived, however, all sense of calm was essentially thrown out the window as the doctors met them at the car and loaded Jungkook into a wheelchair and whisked him away for testing. He followed Sejin inside where the manager was given paperwork to fill out. As soon as Jungkook was brought back to the ER from wherever he had been taken for testing, the rapper joined him. Yoongi gave his account of the asthma attack when prompted by a nurse but otherwise stayed silent as he watched the doctors work on Jungkook. He caught phrases like oxygen saturation and peak expiratory flow as the doctors and nurses talked to each other, but mostly he just tried to stay out of everybody’s way.
He watched as a nurse connected the maknae to an IV line and injected something into it. “It’s a muscle relaxant,” she told him when she saw he looking. Yoongi nodded like he understood but didn’t ask any questions about it. A few minutes later, he had to work hard not to gag as a thin tube was expertly threaded down Jungkook’s throat to his upper airway before a clear plastic mask was strapped over his nose and mouth.
Whatever they had done seemed to be working because after a while the crowd around Jungkook’s bed began to disperse until it was just Yoongi and Jungkook alone in the tiny ICU private room. “How are you doing?” Yoongi asked, breaking his silence.
Jungkook’s eyes were open in hazy slits. The medication they’d given him was making him tired, but the nebulizer on his face was loud and uncomfortable. He gave Yoongi as thumbs up with the hand that didn’t have a pulse oximetry clip on the finger.
“Good. That’s good.” Yoongi took his phone out of his pocket to see 13 unread text messages from Hoseok. He skimmed through them briefly before replying. “Hoseokie says Namjoon and Tae are on their way. Do you want them to bring you anything?”
Jungkook blinked tiredly. He couldn’t talk with a tube down his throat or a mask over his face, so he gestured silently to his ear, cupping his hand around it.
“Headphones?” Yoongi guessed.
Jungkook nodded.
“Yeah, that thing is pretty loud. You can use mine if you want.” He unhooked the headphones he still had on him from around his neck and connected them to Jungkook’s phone. “Try not to get anything important tangled up with them.”
Jungkook visibly relaxed once the headphones were over his ears, blocking out the annoying noises his machines were making. He selected a playlist from his phone and closed his eyes, ready to shut the world out for a while.
A knock on the door announced Namjoon’s arrival a while later. The leader poked his head into the room, making eye contact with Yoongi before looking over at Jungkook in the bed. “Can I come in?”
“Yeah,” Yoongi said, and Namjoon stepped into the room. Taehyung, holding on to the back of the older boy’s shirt, followed. Taehyung’s eyes were wide and scared as he took in the small room. The mask strapped over Jungkook’s nose and mouth was large enough to obscure his face and made a loud noise as it fed the maknae concentrated air. Wires connected him to a machine that kept tabs on his heart rate and oxygen saturation. He had headphones over his ears, and his eyes were shut. “He’s okay,” Yoongi tried to assure him, but Taehyung only clung on tighter to Namjoon.
“Sejin-hyung said it was a bad one,” said Namjoon. He detached Taehyung from the back of his shirt and sat in the vacant seat next to Yoongi.
Taehyung, now stranded on his own, picked at his lips and continued to stare at Jungkook. Yoongi pulled him down to sit on his lap. “It was a long one. I’m not sure how bad it was. Bad enough for all this, obviously, but it wasn’t a sudden thing at least. He told me how he was feeling when it started to get worse.”
“Hoseok said he fainted.” At Yoongi’s nod, he continued. “How long was he out?”
“Not very long. Maybe a minute. He woke up easily enough, but you know we have to take him to the hospital whenever something like that happens. He wasn’t getting enough oxygen, that’s why they have that mask on him.”
“When can he go home?” Namjoon asked.
Yoongi shrugged. “When the attack is over, I guess. He has to use the nebulizer thingy for a while yet, but I don't think they’re going to make him stay overnight so long as he responds well.”
“ Is he responding well?” Namjoon asked. “I talked to Sejin-hyung said before coming in here, but he didn’t tell me much, just that you were with him and he was resting.”
“I don't know. I guess so. No one’s said that he isn’t, and things have been pretty quiet in here for a while.”
“Is he sleeping?” Taehyung asked, speaking up for the first time. He still hadn’t taken his eyes off Jungkook.
“I’m not sure.” Yoongi scratched the boy’s back. “Why don't you go see?”
Taehyung looked to Namjoon for permission. The leader nodded shortly, and Taehyung got up to sit on the edge of Jungkook’s narrow bed. “Kookie,” he called quietly even though he knew the maknae wouldn’t be able to hear him with the headphones on. When Jungkook didn’t react, Taehyung gently rubbed his thumb over the back of the boy’s hand.
Jungkook flinched and opened his eyes, obviously startled. His alarm was quickly replaced when he saw that Namjoon and Taehyung had arrived. He paused his music and removed the earphones. Unable to speak with the mask over his face, he put his hand on Taehyung’s thigh to show his appreciation.
“How are you feeling?” Taehyung asked.
Jungkook made a so-so gesture.
“We heard you’ve been having a pretty bad day,” Namjoon said with a smile.
“Nah, Jungkook loves hanging out in hospitals,” Yoongi deadpanned. “He kept begging and begging to come here until we finally gave in.” He grinned as Jungkook rolled his eyes.
“I thought maybe you were asleep,” said Taehyung.
Jungkook shook his head. The muscle relaxant they gave him was making him a bit drowsy, but the albuterol he breathed in through the nebulizer was making him buzzed and restless. He put a hand over his heart and patted his chest in an attempt to mime this information.
“Does your chest hurt?” Taehyung asked, eyebrows shooting up.
Jungkook shook his head and made the motion again, looking at Namjoon.
“Your heart is racing?” Namjoon guessed.
The maknae nodded and pinched his fingers so they were close together.
“Just a little bit?” Namjoon supplied again. “Yeah, that’s normal for this kind of medicine, isn’t it?”
Jungkook shrugged.
“You are feeling better though, right?” Yoongi checked, releasing a short sigh of relief when Jungkook nodded. “Good.”
Satisfied that Jungkook was okay, Taehyung made himself more comfortable on the bed. Jungkook scooted over as much as he could to make room for him. “I bet you’ll be glad to get that thing off your face,” Taehyung said, poking the clear plastic covering. “You look like an alien.”
“It will be even better when he doesn’t have a tube down his throat,” Yoongi said.
Taehyung’s mouth dropped open. “You have a tube down your throat?!”
“Geez,” Namjoon sighed, rubbing his hand over his face. “You really go all out, don't you?”
Jungkook grinned as much as he could behind the mask. He still didn’t remember fainting, but he was much more clear-headed than he had been, most likely thanks to the oxygen being forced down his throat. His chest wasn’t nearly so tight, and breathing in his medication was easier, even though it made his heart beat a little too fast and gave him a headache. It was a small price to pay for being able to breathe. He pulled Taehyung closer to lay down next to him and took out his phone to show him a funny video he’d seen earlier.
He and Taehyung passed the phone back and forth between themselves, showing each other memes and videos while Namjoon and Yoongi talked. After a while, Sejin came in with a nurse. “All right, guys. Time to go.”
Jungkook sat up a bit and pointed to himself.
“Not yet,” the nurse said. “You’re stuck with me for a couple more hours.”
He slumped back down on the mattress in an unmistakable pout.
“Can’t we stay with him?” Taehyung asked. “We could keep him company. We’re already here, and we’re being good and everything.”
Sejin laughed. “Sorry, kid. Jungkook-ah needs to rest, and we need to go get your bikes before it gets dark.”
“Where did you leave your bikes?” Yoongi asked, his interest piqued.
“At a restaurant,” Namjoon said.
“They let you do that?”
“Taehyung asked,” Namjoon answered. “He just stopped and went in and asked the lady at the counter if she would watch our bikes for us. We didn’t even buy anything. Ajummas just like Taehyungie.”
“Ajummas like everyone,” Taehyung argued.
Namjoon just shook his head. “She said she would keep them until they closed tonight. It was amazing.”
“That’s why we need to hurry up. Come on, Taehyung,” Sejin prompted when the boy didn’t move from the bed. “We can’t leave your stuff there all evening.”
“Ajumma said it was okay until tonight,” Taehyung protested. “Can’t it wait a little while longer?” He dropped his head down to rest against Jungkook’s shoulder.
“If you’re staying or going, I need to go ahead and extubate Jungkook,” the nurse spoke up. “So either way, I’m going to need the room for a few moments.”
Taehyung paled.
“He’ll be fine,” the nurse and Namjoon both assured Taehyung together. “I’m staying with him until he’s ready to go home,” Namjoon continued. “Maybe you can order everyone dinner from that restaurant to say thank you for letting us store our bikes there.”
“That’s a good idea,” Yoongi said. He pulled Taehyung off the bed. “Come on, hyung will buy.”
Jungkook tried to give the rapper his headphones back, but Yoongi ignored him. After a stream of reluctant goodbyes, Sejin, Yoongi, and Taehyung finally left so that he was alone with the nurse and the leader. Namjoon gently squeezed Jungkook’s ankle. “I’ll be right outside, okay?”
The extubation process was uncomfortable but quick, and soon Namjoon was back in the room. “How’d it go?”
“Just fine,” the nurse answered. “His oxygen levels are up, and his lung function has improved. He has a while left on the nebulizer, but then he’ll be good to go home so long as he doesn’t have another attack. We’ll keep an eye on him for a little while to make sure that doesn’t happen”
“Thank you,” said Namjoon and Jungkook nodded his thanks as well. “Not so bad,” the leader said once the nurse had gone again. “Jin-hyung’s been texting me nonstop. He says he’s sorry he wasn’t there to help. He wants you to call him when we get back home.”
Jungkook nodded, sighing, happy he was able to take enough of a breath to sigh. Now that the asthma attack was finally over, he could relax. Or he could at least try to relax. He, of course, knew that none of what had happened had been his fault, but his fault or not, he had ruined his hyungs’ day. Yoongi had had to bring him to the hospital. He was sure he’d freaked Hoseok out when he fainted. Jimin, Namjoon, and Taehyung all had to cut their own plans short to accommodate him. Even Jin, who was supposed to be having fun and relaxing with his family, was spending his break worrying about him. That wasn’t fair to them. He moved the mask down, grimacing at the sound the suction made when it released..
“Hey, don't mess with that,” Namjoon said, trying to put the nebulizer back in place, but Jungkook wouldn’t let him.
“I’m sorry about all this.” Jungkook’s voice was reedy and raspy and his mouth was dry. “I’m ruining everyone’s time off.”
Namjoon rolled his eyes. “Don't start with that.”
“With what?”
“That self-sacrificing shit. You’re not ruining anything. Your asthma is. Not you. Your day was ruined way more than anyone else’s was. We all had a good time. You’re the one in a hospital bed.”
“Yeah, but-” Jungkook tried to continue, but Namjoon cut him off, forcefully jamming the mask back over his face.
“But nothing. We’re all fine. I still got to go for a ride with Taehyung. Yoongi-hyung’s still leaving tomorrow. Everyone is still doing what they planned on doing. Everyone but you, so stop worrying about everyone else and focus on resting so you can go back to doing whatever it was you were doing before this happened.”
“I wasn’t doing anything,” Jungkook said, now muffled by the mask.
“Good,” Namjoon said. “Now you really don't have anything to be sorry for. I’m sure the doctor is going to tell you to rest for the rest of the weekend, so you’re not missing out on anything, and it will give Jimin and Hoseok an excuse to fuss over you, and you know how much they love to do that.”
Jungkook had to laugh at that. As he did so, the last of the tension harboring in his chest released.
True to the leader’s predictions, the other members had gone a bit overboard when Jungkook finally arrived back at the dorm that evening. A feast was laid out on the dining table, decorated by a large bouquet. Several silver Get Well Soon balloons were tied to his usual chair, though at least one of them had been popped before he ever saw it, as evidenced by Taehyung’s unnaturally high-pitched “Welcome home!” when he came in. He spent the evening eating too many slices of the strawberry cake Hoseok had sprung for, texting Jin, and letting Jimin rub his shoulders, all the while insisting that he was fine. And for the first time that day, he actually was.