The Man You Are (BTS Jungkook)

42: Confrontation

"I'm not exactly in a steady mindset right now, I promise it was an accident. Please ignore it and never talk about it again." I say in full distress, still hunched over the toilet. "Fuck." I mumble. I hear him tread away and thank god he didn't say anything else. Feeling confident that I got everything out, I flush and stand up. I quickly turn the fan on before brushing my teeth throughly. I decide to clean myself up a little more before returning to him. Once I finish, I open the door with a pout and he immediately stands up from the couch.

"I, um, I went through your cabinets and found some pepito bismol and saltine crackers. That should help with your stomach, I also got you a glass of water because you're probably really dehydrated. They're on the coffee table whenever you feel ready." His flustered state shows me that what I accidentally said was freaking him out a little.

"Thank you, that's really kind of you." I say smiling up at him. I almost want to cry at the gesture. No one has cared for me like this in a long, long time. I think back to my father for the first time in awhile and hold back tears. The last thing we need is to start crying on top of everything. I have a feeling Jungkook would run out so fast he'd leave skid marks from his shoes.

"Oh...yeah no problem." He says itching the back of his neck, refusing to meet my eyes. This is the same man that nearly punched his best friend in front of a crowd of people because of me, crumbling under the pressure of a small phrase. I chuckle, knowing that it truly was a mistake.

"Jungkook, listen." I say putting my hands on his shoulders. "I like you, a lot obviously. But I promise you that what I said in there was said mindlessly ok? Nothing to overthink, I promise." I say and he visibly relaxes. "Now let's pretend it didn't happen." I finish and walk past him. He follows me to the living room and I place myself on the floor in front of my breakfast. "Are you not hungover?" I turn around, my mouth stuffed with saltines. He placed himself directly behind me so that his knees are at either side of my shoulders. He shakes his head.

"I didn't have anything last night." He says gently rubbing my shoulders.

"Really? Nothing?" I say surprised.

"Nothing." He simply states. "I did run into to a couple old friends though... as you partly saw. But the other guy, I haven't seen in awhile. He was being really weird." He says.

"Weird how?" I ask genuinely curious. We don't have talks about his past a lot so I make sure to tread gently.

"I mean, he's always been weird but last night was different. It's hard to even explain but he's just off. I was scared he would try and talk to you. Did a guy with a buzzcut and an eyebrow piercing come up to you at all?" He asks still rubbing my back.

"Nope." I say with my eyes closed. "How do you know him?" I ask, almost positive he won't answer.

"I grew up with him. We were really close until he introduced me to.... my ex." He says and his hands stop moving. My eyes shoot open and I become stiff. "Ever since he got involved with her and her crowd, he changed for the worst." I silently nod while chugging the water he got me. I don't know where this vulnerability is suddenly coming from but I don't want him to stop. He lets out a big breath. "She fucked everything up." He finishes. I take this opportunity to learn more.

"She was that bad?" I ask quietly, turning my body around to face him. He doesn't look upset, which I take as a good sign. Maybe he's ready to finally talk about it.

"You have no idea. To put it short, the worst thing that has ever happened to me." He firmly states.

"What did she do?" I ask as gently as I can, really hoping I don't push him over the edge.

"She just led me down a really bad path." His voice gets deeper. "And these..." he trails off touching the scar on his cheek and eyebrow. My heart shatters as I take in the trauma this girl caused him. I can barely move. He brings his hand down and touches a couple more spots on his body, currently covered by his baggy clothes. I worriedly look back up at his face and his gaze is distant. He seems to be staring off into another life. I push myself off of the floor and climb into his lap. I place my face in front of his, forcing his eyes to meet mine. Once they do, a couple tears start to weld up. I place one of my hands over the indicated spot he touched on his abdomen and the other on the spot on his upper arm. I want so badly to soak up some of the pain that she caused him but I know it's impossible. All I can do is make his future worth living through the messy past. A couple tears roll down his cheeks and he lets out a small laugh of relief. "It feels so good to tell someone." He sighs, holding my hands tightly. I smile back. "I'm sorry, I know this was a really bad time to trauma dump but I really want to work on being more open with you. I'm sorry." He shakes his head. "Did you take the medicine?" He asks trying to change the subject. I put my hands on his cheeks, bringing him back.