Vipers in the Lake | BTS Gang x Reader

13. Shy Curiosity

"Me?" You exclaimed, forefingers pointing up to your disbelieving face.

"Is that okay, Jungkook?" Jin asked, ignoring your minor outburst. "It shouldn't take long." Jungkook seemed to pause for a moment, considering. But there was nothing to consider. His older brothers needed help.

"Yes," he said, gaze still firmly pointed away from you. "We'll be fine. Go." Taehyung blew a wet kiss toward his friend, reigniting that bunny grin, as the trio ambled out of the infirmary. 

The glass door slammed with a resounding thud, and then it was only the two of you.

Scratch that.

The two of you, and the last medic.

The EKG hummed, spitting out a long sheet of paper covered in curving lines. She stared down a moment at the peaks and troughs, scribbling something down on a clipboard, and then sighed. 

Looking up, her small frame jolted slightly when she saw the two of you watching her. 

"Well," she said, nodding slightly as her gaze flicked between yours and Jungkook's. "Heartbeat looks regular. Strong." She set the clipboard down on a hook at the end of the bed, and picked up a small vial full of wine red blood. "I'm going to take this to the labs. Nothing should happen whilst I'm gone, but if it does, hit the red button on that." She pointed down at the a shiny plastic remote thrown carelessly on the bed beside Jungkook's legs. 

Then, she smiled and sauntered off, not noticing the way your wide eyes stared deftly into her face, nor the slight shake of your jaw. It was not a subtle way of begging her not to leave. In fact, if Jungkook had looked slightly up and to the right, it would have been as good as hanging onto the back of her coat and sobbing.

And then it really was only the two of you.

Great. Stuck with the most hot n' cold, most suspicious man of them all.

The silence in the room hung densely between the two of you, each avidly avoiding meeting the others gaze.

Coughing, you looked around for somewhere to sit. Eyes landing on a tall barstool a few metres away, you latched a couple fingers under the rim and dragged it toward you. A grating, raucous and chillingly high screech ensued. 

"Are you trying to give me a headache?" Jungkook asked dryly, head tilted as he watched you plonk down into the chair.

"No. Sorry," you replied quietly, not wanting confrontation nor to start a full conversation with the wounded man sprawled in front of you. It didn't work.

"Don't be sorry," Jungkook said, picking idly at a loose thread in the comforter spread over him. "It was only a joke." Your lips parted on an 'oh' vowel, nodding slowly. 

This is even more awkward than I could have expected.

"Do you want som-"

"I'm sor-"

The two of you began speaking at the same time, gazes finally meeting one another's.

You sighed. "Sorry. You go."

Jungkook's mouth widened slightly, the hint of a smile gracing his lips. "I wanted to say that I was sorry." Eyebrows furrowing in confusion, you waited in silence for him to explain. "For before. I thought you were lying," he winced sheepishly as he brought his hand up to rub at the nape of his neck. "I..To be honest, I don't know what I thought. But I didn't trust you."

"Do you trust me now?" You said thickly.

The question hung between the two of you, a peace-offering. The silence grew loud once more, before Jungkook spoke again. His voice was quieter.

"I'm trying to. I'm starting to."

As you stared at one another, you took a moment to appreciate his features. A strong nose, small lips bordered by a sharp Cupid's bow. Doe eyes peering back at you under thick lashes. 

"Did you.." you lifted a hand vaguely in the direction of the table at the end of his bed, where you had spied bottled water stacked earlier, but didn't make any real effort to tear your gaze from his. There was something settling between you, a kind of shy curiosity. "Are you thirsty?"

A cherry tongue flicked out of his mouth, swiping softly across his bottom lip. "Yes, actually."

Sliding off your seat once more, you stared down at your hands as they shook slightly around the body of the bottle. The lid peeled off with a small crack.

What the heck is going on right now. What is happening.

They weren't internal questions so much as incoherent, flying thoughts, some lingering long enough in the forefront of your mind to match words to them.

It must be because I was sheltered. Now I get excited at a glance from the opposite sex.

Working on autopilot, your eyes remained on your own hand as you lifted the bottle toward Jungkook's mout-

"Ouch!" He hissed, teeth knocking into the hard plastic rim. Water sloshed pitifully down his front, yanking you from your thoughts and back into the room. 

"Sorry! Sorry!" Grabbing a soft towel from the table at the end of the bed, you sped back over to Jungkook, swiping gingerly at the water you had spilled. You took extra care not to accidentally wipe the edge of the bandage tight around his midriff. You had done enough damage for one day.

Jungkook watched you with amused eyes, bringing the bottle to his mouth himself and taking a deep swig. Unable to help it, you began to giggle. His smile grew wider, bunny teeth appearing again, and started to laugh along with you.

Before long the two of you were full-on chortling, tears pricking hotly at the corners of your eyes.  Jungkook hissed slightly, the motion of laughing pulling at the ridges of his wound, but didn't seem to be able to stop himself. 

There it was again. That quiet, shy curiosity. 

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After a while, laugher lessened slowly into quiet conversation, quiet conversation lessening slowly into comfortable silence, and you found yourself watching the rise and fall of Jungkook's chest as he napped quietly beside you. 

It was a strange realisation; that he had gone from distrusting you, maybe even disliking you, to feeling relaxed enough in your presence to fall asleep. A strange realisation, but not a bad one. 

You felt relaxed, too, sitting there with nothing to do but monitor his breathing. It was a relief after the stress of earlier, when Jin had hauled him through the house looking like he was on death's door. After the stress of not being able to help. 

Glass door sliding gently open behind you, you turned to face Yoongi and Jimin in the doorway. Jimin grinned at you as he walked into the room, stroking a tentative hand across the forehead of his sleeping friend.

"Is everything okay, Jimin?" You asked, his curious gaze lifting to meet yours. "Jin said.."

"Oh, yeah." He huffed gently, almost a laugh. "It was fine. Especially once the others arrived." His small smile morphed, contorting into a sly grin as he sent a sultry wink your way. "Why, Y/n? Were you worried about me?" Yoongi groaned outwardly, wrapping a hand around your bicep to pull you off the stool and toward the door.

"Come on, Y/n. Jimin's here to watch over Jungkook now. We have to start thinking about tomorrow night." Anxiety sunk low in stomach, a nauseating reminder of the day to come. And as you walked through the Pit, trying to focus on the fact you were returning home tomorrow, your mind lingered a little longer on the way Jimin had asked that last question. 

Teasing, for sure. But you couldn't help feeling like something in him actually wanted to know the answer.

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