CHAPTER 13 - THE MISTAKE

ONE WEEK LATER

Raven tapped her fingers together, Jungkook raising a brow at her antics. She wrapped the bandages around her hands and prepared to spar him much to Jimin's dismay. Jungkook and Raven hadn't sparred nearly enough, and she was a decent fighter. Not great, but about average, which was solid practice for Jungkook. The woman had her faults he exploited. Like she thought too hard about her moves instead of just making them, and that cost her valuable time. He wondered if she had improved since the last time they fought. Well, he was about to find out.

"If he hurts you, stop the fight immediately, okay?" Jimin said, tying her hair into a ponytail despite her protests. "And don't think too much, just attack him-"

"Mimi." He shut up. "I'll be okay."

Jimin sighed and gave in. However, his next action had Jungkook going into shock. Jimin grew a pair and leaned in, kissing the girl's cheek. She went still, Jimin backing away before either of them could say something. It was the three of them here today, so Jungkook should have expected some Jiven action. Ew. That was a disgusting thing to think about.

Raven came back to her senses and stood, her cheeks a bright crimson shade Jungkook chose not to make fun of her for. Unfortunately, he knew she'd be distracted because of it. His enemies wouldn't be so nice. Jimin ruined a perfectly good fight. Jungkook had to go easy on her now. Probably, anyway.

"Ready?" Jimin asked. They agreed. "Fight!"

Jungkook dove in right away, catching the redhead off guard and landing a blow on her side. She stepped away to dodge his next punch, holding her fists up in a defensive position. Jimin was biting his nails, Jungkook pretending not to notice so he could concentrate on kicking Raven's ass.

Raven was first to attack this time, and she didn't think as much as she did in other matches. Jungkook was confused for a split second too long, and he got clocked across the face for it. "That's for being an asshole. Sorry, I won't punch you in the face anymore, but you kind of deserved that one," she said, her tone cloaked in amusement.

Any other day, he'd be laughing with her. But for some reason, his anger spiked from being hit in such a way. His veins pumped with adrenaline, and his eyes narrowed. Jungkook went after her again. She dodged. She went for him next, and he blocked it, grunting as he did so. His vision was fading in and out. Jungkook wasn't sure why, and that was the scariest part. Every cell in his mind screamed at him to stop the fight.

But he couldn't.

His opponent kept fighting, not questioning his silence. He hissed at her when she tried to punch again, and she yelped from the sound. Even Jimin raised his head at that. It was far too late. Raven's hesitation caused Jungkook to strike, and he punched her in the face. Out of instinct, she punched back... hard. Jungkook stumbled back, and that was when he snapped and saw a shade of maroon strike him.

Jungkook flew forward and grabbed her, the woman screeching from his grasp. Jimin shouted something, and Jungkook blacked out for the next few seconds. When he came to, he heard more screaming, only the screams were Jimin's, not Raven's. Jungkook let out a sound he couldn't decipher, holding his head and shaking it afterwards. His vision cleared to reveal the horrible sight.

Jimin was picking up Raven, the redhead twitching in his arms. Jungkook recognized that from a long time ago, and he hopped to his feet. "N-No, fuck, did I..."

There was no answer. Jimin ran out, Jungkook following after him. "Dammit Jungkook, call the fucking ambulance and tell them we're here. Not in the high school, don't reveal our lab, but across the fucking street or something, I-I don't know! Do something!" Jimin shouted as he climbed the stairs.

Jungkook obeyed and brought his phone to his ear, the trio rushing to the outside world. The rings of the phone were torture to him, the noise banging around the insides of his eardrums. Jimin sprinted across the street, Jungkook following. The phone call went like a blur. He answered with short phrases, telling the emergency services where they were and that it appeared as though their friend was having a seizure. The symptoms of Jungkook's venom bite.

By the time the call was over, Jimin placed Raven on the ground out of fear of dropping her while she shook. He was trembling as well, his skin glistening in sweat. Jungkook knew he had to leave. He had Raven's blood on his teeth, and he wasn't sure why. What triggered that? How did it trigger that? Why the fuck did she trigger it, but not Jimin? There had to be a pattern, right? Or maybe that was what Jungkook was telling himself so he could have hope he could control it.

Jungkook stepped forward albeit cautiously. "Jimin, I-"

Jimin cut him off by punching him, and Jungkook took it. He coughed from the impact, a bruise residing on his cheek from Jimin's hard fist making contact with his face. Only a second later, Jungkook got screamed at. "Not another fucking step, got it?!" Jungkook agreed, Jimin heaving before backing up and kneeling by the woman's side. She was crying, seizing still. Jimin was unsure about what to do, and Jungkook was in the same shoes. So he did what he did last time. He grabbed on to the side of a building, and he climbed away...

~~~

Entering the hospital was the most frightening thing Jungkook ever had to do in his life. And he meant that more than just because Jimin was going to beat Jungkook's ass for hurting his woman. There was also the added factor that Raven would beat his ass when she woke up. But both of those things weren't what made this so hard. It was having to face his consequences for having such an atrocious mistake. How could he give in to his senses and bite her? She wasn't a threat. It was a sparring match, he had plenty before. Why was this one different? Because they hadn't fought in a while? No, that couldn't be it. This was far too confusing for him to answer now.

Jungkook entered the hospital room, the lights painting him as if he were a ghost, but Raven was the one who seemed more like a ghost. She was unconscious and on the hospital bed, Jimin by her side and holding her hand. Jimin was as close as he could get, kissing the back of her hand over and over again as if that would bring her back.

"I'm sorry," Jungkook said, closing the door behind him for a false feeling of safety. "I know it doesn't mean much, but I really am. Jimin, you can beat my ass all over the curb, and she can too. You'd have every right too. But I just ask that you believe me. I really didn't mean to, and what terrifies me most is that I don't know why that happen-"

"You're terrified?" Jimin asked, interrupting Jungkook by standing and swiveling to face him. The man had snot on his nose and puffy eyes. The whites of his eyes were more pink than white, and his hair was in 10 different directions. "Have you ever considered how she felt when you grabbed her? How I feel right now because she's not awake and making some dumb Star Wars jokes with me?"

"I can't imagine..."

Footsteps sounded off outside, and Jungkook peeked back through the window to see a security guard patrolling the halls. Jungkook heard the police were opening an official investigation to find out the cause of this. That was because of what happened with Quinton happened a second time, and they thought it was a pattern. They believed it to be a new drug that was taking university students by storm. However, there were only two cases so far, and they were spread out, making that drug theory unlikely. Their second theory was a rare parasite was doing this. That one wasn't far from the truth.

"I know you didn't mean to. Jungkook, I was there when you bit Quinton, and I was there today. I saw you, and it wasn't you. That's what scares me most. The doctors think she'll be alright, but we still don't know how this shit works. What if she seizures again? What if this impacts her permanently? I can't fathom that, okay? I can't. I... I just..."

"You love her," Jungkook said.

"Is now really the time to be talking about my fucking feelings?" Jungkook shut his mouth, hanging his head. "Fine, okay? I love her. I get you're here to be supportive, and I do appreciate that. Deep down, I know it's not your fault, and I'm not mad at you. But fuck Jungkook, I'm scared. If this happened to anyone else I'd be terrified, but it happening to Rave? This is exactly why I didn't want her to spar you. I had a feeling this would happen, and I thought I was just being overprotective and toxic. Turns out I had every right to be afraid of you."

"Jimin." Jungkook kept his eyes on his shoes. "I'm afraid of me," he said, his voice cracking.

The man stared, Jungkook attempting not to wail and break down. Jimin didn't speak. He sat and took Raven's hand, kissing it before going back to concentrating on her. There was nothing more to say, so Jungkook waited by the door. The others didn't know yet, as far as Jungkook was aware. He didn't make any phone calls, and he was almost certain Jimin was too occupied with panicking to remember to call Tae about it. That would lead to some hard conversations later.

Ten minutes passed of nothing, then, Raven squirmed, and Jimin shot up. Jungkook sprinted over and knelt by the bedside. He was careful to leave space between him and Jimin, but Jimin didn't even notice. Raven coughed as she came to, Jimin's eyes widening from the sight.

She groaned, rubbing her head. "What..." her coarse voice said, choking on the words.

"Shh, shh," Jimin said, taking his water and handing it to her. "Drink this. You got your ass handed to you, you need to stay hydrated."

She chuckled and agreed. Jungkook sat back in silence, watching the pair. Jimin took off the cap and helped her drink, her eyes fluttering between open and shut. The odds were she couldn't even see yet. His theory was confirmed when she pat the air to find Jimin. He took her hand and kissed it once again, Raven rubbing her eyes with her free hand.

Jimin gave up after a beat, giving in to his desires and pulling her into a hug. It was hard since the bed was so high, but they made it work. Raven grinned as she hugged back. "I'm guessing you were worried?" she said.

Jimin stroked her hair and sighed. "More than you could know."

Raven's eyes fully opened, and they parted. Jungkook felt bad about feeling like a third wheel. Was that strange? Feeling bad for existing? Jungkook didn't want to interrupt their private moment. Raven didn't know he was there yet. It was possible she didn't remember what happened.

"I'm sorry for worrying you," she said, yawning off the drowsiness. "Next time I'll-" She broke off when she saw Jungkook, and the man waved in an attempt to make this less awkward. "Oh. Hey Jeon."

"Hey..."

"If you're about to apologize, don't. I know you can't control it."

Alright, she did remember. That made this a bit less mortifying. If he had to explain he bit her, he might have died from a panic attack halfway through. "It doesn't change that I did it at all. I'm sorry I did. You deserve an apology whether it was my fault or not."

"I do appreciate your apology, Jeon, but it's okay. I'm gonna live, right?"

"Probably."

"Damn, I was hoping to get out of tuition," she said, snickering.

"From what I heard from the dean, you already did. You got Quinton's scholarship, didn't you?"

Jimin's eyes nearly burst from his head. "Wait, you got what?"

Raven sat up with a grunt. The bandages on her upper body, right near her shoulder where he bit her, moved with her. Jungkook's heart deflated. Hurting Jimin was one thing, but hurting a woman made him feel like a piece of shit. Particularly Raven. Last time this bite happened, he got enraged by Quinton hurting Raven. Now Jungkook did the same. So who was really the bigger piece of shit?

"Yeah, I wasn't sure how to tell you," she said, scratching the back of her neck. She winced as she did so. "The dean called me in a while ago and awarded me Quinton's scholarship. Not his in particular, but you know what I mean. I got a full ride for being brave enough to testify against him and make so many reports. Oh, and it helped that I was an athlete, in a couple clubs, a declared double-major, and killing it with my grades. There was no real reason not to give me a scholarship at that point. It's nice to finally be recognized for my hard work."

"You deserve it, Ravie," Jimin said, grinning at her. There was a hint of anger in his eyes. Jungkook knew it wasn't directed at Raven. Actually, it was directed at Jungkook for putting Rave in this position. To add insult to injury, the punch Jimin gave him healed already, so Jimin couldn't even say he got his revenge. That made Jungkook feel worse.

A silence hushed over them for obvious reasons. Jungkook wanted to scream his apologies. Both at Jimin and Raven. There was no way he could apologize for something so appalling, though. He hurt his best friend. Both of his best friends. He deserved to pay the price.

"I think I need to rip it off like a band-aid," Jimin said, his eyes remaining on the redhead despite his tone being directed at Jungkook. "I'm leaving the team."

Jungkook resisted the urge to shout his disapproval. He took the words instead. He absorbed them, soaking them in his mouth until he had a bitter taste swelling on his tongue. And only after he let his heart burn and ache from the realization he was losing his friend did he speak. "Okay," was his only answer.

Raven, on the other hand, was more reactive than Jungkook. "Why are you leaving? He bit Quinton before, I shouldn't be any different."

"How would you not be different? Quinton's an asshole. You're..."

"I'm what?" she asked, and Jimin sighed, running a hand through his hair. "No, go ahead, finish the sentence. What am I? What exactly-"

"You're the woman I love, okay?!" She shut her mouth right away, and Jimin sniffed as he wiped a tear away. "And I care about myself too. I'm the one who spars Jungkook all the time. What if I'm next, and I'm the one in this bed? What if I'm the one who doesn't survive? We are playing with fire, and we're acting surprised we got burned. I'm not doing this anymore. I hope to God you come with me, Rave. We'll go back to our daily lives and be normal college kids."

"But I don't think I want to leave," she said with watery eyes. "I finally have friends again, I don't want to lose that and have to start from scratch. I've done that too many times."

Jungkook kept quiet, figuring it wasn't his place to join their quarrel. At the end of the day, this was Raven and Jimin's decision. Jungkook wanted Jimin to stay, but he couldn't force the man. After all, he had a point. The venom bite was dangerous. If Quinton wasn't enough proof, here Raven was.

"Raven, do whatever you want," Jungkook said. "I won't stop you from going. Don't feel pressured to stay if you don't want to. Jimin's got a point. He shouldn't spar someone that could hurt or even kill him. You shouldn't have to be around that either."

The redhead bit her lip and peeked down, fiddling with her fingers. "I-I just..."

Jimin leaned a bit closer, his hand still holding hers. "What is it?"

"I don't want to make this decision now. Please, can I just be alone? Both of you, please get out."

The hurt flashed in Jimin's eyes, and Raven went to speak to him, but the damage was already done. He pulled away from her and stood, brushing himself off and stroking away his tears. "Alright. I'll go," he said, turning and departing before either of them could utter a word.

"Shit," Raven mumbled, burying her head in her hands. "Here I go again. I can't even love people right. What the fuck is wrong with me? Why do I hurt everyone I love?"

"Do you love me?" Jungkook asked.

"I want to think I do."

He smiled albeit a bittersweet one, and he pat her shoulder, the woman glancing up with curiosity in her crying eyes. "Then you haven't hurt everyone, Rave. And he'll come around. He just cares about you, that's all. The last thing he wants to see is you hurt. I'm sure you're the same way with him."

She pursed her lips, the conflict storming in those ocean irises of hers. Regardless, he backed away and left, saying one final goodbye before he did. Jimin was no where to be found outside the room, so Jungkook sauntered down the dirty paths that were more footprints than floors until he reached the outside. And that was where he found Jimin.

The man went to the corner of the parking lot, Jungkook following. Jimin froze and stared out at the sky. Jungkook remained quiet out of fear of making it worse, but he knew he had to say something. One thing that would maybe make up for all of this.

"I fucked up, Jimin," he said, shaking his head despite how the shorter man couldn't see it. "And if you want to beat me up, and let out your anger, I won't blame you. I'd encourage it, actually. Maybe I even hope that you do. To be honest with you, I don't think I'll ever be able to control this. I doubt it's something meant to be controlled. If you leaving is what you have to do to keep yourself safe, then I won't so much as ask you to reconsider. You go and be free. I wish you luck in life, and for whatever it's worth, I hope we can see each other again." Jungkook took a deep breath. "So go ahead. Hit me. Do whatever will make you feel better."

There was more silence that drifted over them, teetering on the edges of their minds. Then, Jimin swiveled on his heel and grabbed Jungkook by the shoulders, pinning him against the nearest car. Jungkook only watched the fury inside Jimin's eyes with a smile. But not one of joy. Jimin held up his fist, and Jungkook closed his eyes, waiting for the pain to come. Jimin held him by the collar, keeping him pinned there. Jungkook only took it. He was expecting more, but Jimin hesitated.

"It's okay," Jungkook whispered.

He opened his eyes for emphasis. However, that made Jimin back away completely. Neither of them cried, but they wanted to. They desired it more than anything. Jungkook from frustration over everything he had worked for coming to a roadblock, and Jimin from the pain that the one he loved got hurt, and he could be next. Both of them had equal reason to sob. And yet, neither of them did.

"No," Jimin said, his shoes crunching the gravel as he backed away. And then, Park Jimin was gone. Jungkook wondered if that 'gone' would last forever. He came to the conclusion that it might.

Just like that, Jungkook's heart broke.