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it was later that night, dinner had already been shared and the sun had began to set. the curtains were closed, the sun no longer available to fill the room with light. taehyung reached over to his moms side table, flicking the small lamp so they had more than just the television illuminating them. his mom was going in and out of sleep, eyes fluttering shut since nighttime wanted to consume her tired body, yet she still tried to stay awake to spend time with her son.

"mom, im just going to head out. listen to your body, you need the rest." taehyung tried to say. he was met with a stubborn shake of her head, "oh no sweetheart, im okay. you didnt tell me about your conversation yet." she said.

taehyung sighed and gave his mom a look, "theres nothing to say-"

"oh come on he's a sweet boy!" she didnt even let him finish what he had to say.

taehyung stood now, a small smile on his face and he could feel a subtle warmth in his cheeks just thinking about the ravenette. "ill see you soon mom, i love you." he leaned over to give her a soft kiss on the cheek which she gladly accepted. he'd have to go soon anyways, visiting hours ending and all that.

"and dad is coming tomorrow, i have to help him at the store but i can call you." he said as he walked to the door. his mom just nodded and told him she loved him again, followed by a goodnight. taehyung smiled and left the room, closing the door gently behind himself. he was going to go down the hall, until his moms nurser stopped him.

"hey taehyung," ms. aecha said, grabbing his attention. she was standing behind the desk of the nursing station, only glancing up briefly to see if she actually caught the boys attention. "whats up." he said, standing on the other side of the counter leaning his elbows against it.

"i just wanted to confirm that your father will be here tomorrow?" she asked him. no longer looking down at the clipboard in her hands.

taehyung nodded, "yeah why? is there something new about my mom?" he asked her. there really was only one reason to wonder if a visitor would be there. taehyung knew this from previous attempts trying to pry information from the nurse or doctors.

"you know i cant share that information with you. i need to have the doctors speak to your father first." ms aecha explained, not for the first time.

"oh come on, just tell me if everything alright-" he didnt get to finish, because ms aecha held her finger up when their call monitor started to ring. she walked over to the device and saw the name calling the nurses station, tapping the screen to answer the call, "jungkook?" she asked.

except the there was no answer and only the sound of coughing, this had taehyung standing a little straighter and his stomach to drop a bit. "jungkook are you okay?" ms aecha repeated, but the coughing continued and sounded to worsen. she didnt wait a second longer before starting to jog around the corner. "choking, room 310!" she called out, another nurse following her down the hall quickly to the room the call came from.

taehyung had no second thoughts, not as he followed and ran behind the nurses that threw the door open to 310. their heartbeats were fast, beating against their chests as the panic rose and they had to fight against the feeling so whatever had to be done could be efficient.

except jungkook was sitting there, a mountain dew bottle in his lap and a apologetic look on his face. "im sorry ms aecha me leg hit the call button, im fine i swear-"

his nurse came over to the bed and removed the remote from sitting on top of the mattress, putting it back on the side. "you scared me jungkook." she said. "are you okay?"

"yeah." he nodded, chest heaving to recover from the mild coughing fit he had. "wrong pipe." he smiled sheepishly as he held up the mountain dew bottle.

"be careful, please." she said, walking back out of the room and passing the brunette who was still stuck in his place at the doorway.

jungkook looked back up and saw him there, watching him closely and making him feel small under that stare. "do you want to come in?" jungkook asked. he reached for his water, figuring that was a good choice to help his throat feel a little better.

taehyung didnt say anything, but he walked in anyways and stood beside the boys bed. jungkook didnt know what to say now, not knowing what was on the others mind as he just stood there and looked around. taehyung just sighed, glancing at the dinner tray sitting there with a few measly bites taken from it. "you need to take care of yourself." was all he said.

jungkook felt his chest tighten a little, a pit of warmth erupt as the frustration started to set in. he didnt like that feeling and he didnt like it coming from something that taehyung said to him. "i do take care of myself." he replied.

"this," taehung picked up the mountain dew bottle, just to throw it away in the bin beside the bed, "is not taking care of yourself."

jungkooks mouth fell open slightly and his eyes narrowed up at the male standing beside him – but taehyung didnt stop there. "this is also not taking care of yourself." he gestured to the tray still full of his meal and the pills still sitting in the paper cups lined against the side waiting to be taken.

"okay mom, do you want to know if i showered today too or did my physical therapy for the day while we're having this conversation?" jungkook couldnt help it. he couldnt help the frustration filling his body and the words that escaped before he could stop them. he had enough of people telling him what to do and making sure he did as he was told. he did not need this from taehyung too.

taehyung didnt want this conversation to take the turn that it did, but it was so frustrating to be around the ravenette and pretend like everything was okay, like he didnt already know what he should have been doing and pretending like they could just walk around and talk as if they werent in a hospital. "can you stop talking for once and have a real conversation with me?" taehyung asked. he was not here for the sarcastic replies or stubborn attitude. "i want to know that youre doing what is needed to be done so you can get better. so you can be okay." he said.

that had jungkook shutting up, but only for a moment. he wouldnt look up at the brunette now, not as he glared at a random spot on the floor and avoided the others intense stare. "whats the point." he mumbled finally, tugging the blankets up further to cover his legs.

taehyung felt worse now then he did when he ran into the room. it was sad to see someone be so uplifting and positive, now turned hopeless and distant. this was not the version of jungkook he liked to see, it wasnt the deep set frown he wanted or the words he wanted to hear coming from the boy – but this wasnt about him or what he wanted. this was about jungkook. if taehyung had to be the bad guy and call him out on his antics, then he'd do that. even if it resulted in angry responses from the younger.

"the point is," taehyung pulled out the chair beside his bed, sitting down and leaning forward so his elbows rested on his knees. "i care about you."

jungkook was chewing on the inside of his cheek, but he snuck a look over at the boy beside him now. there was no longer and angry look on his face, he just seemed neutral and only slightly curious. "i care about you and how you treat yourself right now." taehyung continued. "please, if you dont want to do it for yourself, can you try doing it for me?" he said.

jungkook didnt know what to say. that was a lot to ask coming from someone he didnt really know like that. of course theyve spent a lot of time together, and jungkook totally looked forward to seeing him every single day. it was crazy though, to think that this could be anything more. maybe thats why jungkook was frozen in place. its been too long since someone barely showed interest in him, let alone cared enough for him to say these things right now. it was weird and his tummy was swirling, and part of him felt like the mountain dew he just drank would make a reappearance. thats why he could only manage a nod.

taehyung figured thats all he was going to get as a response. "okay then." he said, standing up now that he knew his minutes were limited. "i will see you tomorrow okay?"

jungkook nodded again, not trusting his voice right now.

taehyung waited for a moment, and since he didnt get a response from the boy he decided to head for the door. he almost made it out before a soft voice stopped him.

"thank you." jungkook said.

taehyung looked back, a soft smile on his face as he saw the boy sitting there and finally looking at him. "goodnight kook." taehung said, leaving the room seconds later and feeling a little better with the conversation. he hoped jungkook understood where he was coming from, and that he would do better for himself.

the ravenette just watched him leave, waiting for the door to shut before he fell back against his pillows. nothing made sense right now in jungkooks mind. why did feelings have to be so confusing. he had enough to deal with and dealing with how he felt about taehyung was not something great to add to his plate.

jungkook stared at his ceiling, until finally sitting up and reaching for the tray with his dinner on it. he took the paper cups first, making sure to swallow those back with little sips of water. he followed it with small bites of his dinner, forcing the food down and grimacing a little at each attempt. it was never satisfying to try and eat without an appetite, but jungkook did it anyways. he continued to finish his meal, one small bite after another until most of it was gone.

it was a start, but at least something at that. jungkook laid back down and pulled the blankets up, clutching them closer to his chest and letting his eyes flutter shut, nothing but a certain brunette sneaking his way into the boys mind as he drifted off the dreamland.

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