"He's healing a lot."
"I know," Jimin responds, looking intently at Jungkook's face. His injuries have miraculously healed over now. It looks like he's peacefully sleeping.
"I wouldn't be surprised if he woke up today," J-Hope comments.
They share a look. There isn't even a single cloud in the sky today - a good omen.
"Jungkookie..." Jimin moves the palm of his hand from Jungkook's head to gaze more intently at him. "You've been sleeping for so long. It's just the final step now, please wake up."
"We have food for you to eat," J-Hope adds. "You're probably hungry."
"And we need your help to find Y/n and the others," Jimin grins.
His eyes open.
Jimin and J-Hope fight like their lives depend on it to keep their excitement under control so as to not scare Jungkook. ("That was totally on cue!" J-Hope whisper-shouts.) Jimin brushes Jungkook's hair out of the way so he can see more clearly.
None of them say anything. Jungkook's doe eyes observe Jimin, then J-Hope, then the clear sky above them.
Anticipation mounts close to a breaking point.
Jungkook grins. "I made it?"
"You made it." Jimin laughs softly and shakes his head. "You actually made it."
"Yayyy~" Jungkook immediately tries to sit up. Jimin and J-Hope rush to try to convince him to stay laying down, but Jungkook is too stubborn to care. They end up helping him anyways and J-Hope keeps an arm around Jungkook's shoulders to assist him while he's sitting.
Jungkook examines their surroundings. Their food supply is substantial, but dwindling, and the campsite is more like a convenient flat area of land that they found instead of an actual campsite.
"Is it just us?" Jungkook asks.
The other two share a look.
"It's just me and Jimin right now," J-Hope says gently.
The grin on Jungkook's face leaves. Jimin watches intently as the younger looks confused and disappointed.
"Are the others coming back?" Jungkook whispers.
"They're out there. We just haven't found them yet." Or so we can hope.
Jungkook tries to piece together the implications of J-Hope's response. So there was a battle, and then he fell... no way to know what happened during the chaos... so the others could be...
"Y/n told me she's okay though." His tone is desperate. "She wouldn't lie for me, would she? They've got to be okay."
J-Hope asks "she told you while you were asleep?" at the same time that Jimin says "you can send more messages to her and we'll find each other that way."
"... yes... and..." Jungkook blinks. "How do you know I sent a message?"
The three of them stare at each other.
"There's a lot to catch up on, isn't there?" Jimin purses his lips, determined. He looks at Jungkook. "You should eat. We've got granola bars and things here, we'll talk while you eat and figure out a plan, okay? You need more energy."
They settle down. As Jungkook eats, J-Hope retells how Y/n's energy transfer got him to control shadow and Jimin talks about the message he received when they were by the cliffside. Then Jungkook fills them in on his thought process before he went unconscious and of the vision with the shooting star before he woke up.
~
It's quiet around the campfire. I glance at the others' faces, softly lit and solemn. I feel slightly better, but only just. Despite the substantial period of time that has passed since the battle, we still feel the difference between a group of eight and five people. It feels like we'll never get used to it.
Can't we start looking for them? I want to ask.
But where would we even start?
Do you guys think they're still out there? I consider instead.
There's no way to know.
I want to say something, be in action, try to get them back, but the words get caught in my throat and I know it'll just dampen the mood further. Guilt and shame and resentment shift inside me like stones that won't sit right. I bring my legs close to me and hug them, feeling sorrow and loneliness, a mix of the darkest ocean blue I've ever felt.
The air shifts around me then. It feels like a gentle breeze is trying to hug me. I thank the wind elemental for the comfort.
~
"What do you want to send her?" Jimin asks.
They give Jungkook space to think. Deep inside, none of them actually know what could have happened to the others - but any thought of them actually being gone gone is too unfathomable to think about, so they push it aside for now, trusting in the blind belief and hope that they'll all unite together again.
"I think a hug's good enough," Jungkook sighs, shifting on the tree stump he's sitting on.
"You sure you don't want to use words?"
"What would I even say?" he shrugs. "A hug will suffice."
The corner of Jimin's lip quirks up a little. In any other situation, Jimin would've teased Jungkook for the cute choice, but he wisely chooses to remain silent and go along with it. Jungkook knows Y/n best, after all.
They work out subtle yet noticeable patterns (natural enough that anyone with Freedom Academy would shrug it off as normal, yet noticeable enough that Y/n will catch on) and send the signals away. It's an absolute blessing that there are two people in their group who have the same element - Jungkook and Y/n - so there's a much higher chance of success, that something will be picked up along the way.
They begin with cautious hope. The days go by painstakingly slowly, but with still no response after a while, doubt starts creeping up on them whether this will ever work. They continue and slowly up the clearness of their message in the feeble hope that something will click.
~
I find lots of comfort in the wind. It's never stormy, just a gentle breeze, and the rushing thoughts in my head are able to take a deep breath and settle down. Even without them close by, I feel strangely peaceful for the first time in days.
Namjoon has been adamant that we stay at large - that we shouldn't go back to the bases unless absolutely necessary, which we only agreed to with quiet nods.
~
"What do you guys think about returning to our previous bases?" Jimin brings up one day, breaking the silence.
"Returning?" Jungkook repeats.
"Yeah, like to the treehouse one. Or one of the others."
J-Hope whistles. "That's a dumb idea if I've ever heard of one."
"No, listen," Jimin laughs. "It's stupid enough that they won't think that we'd do it. Do you get me? And our food supply is dwindling, so even if we don't stay that long, we still need to take a pit stop somewhere, and hunting is a no-go right now in the cold."
J-Hope raises his eyebrows, considering. Jungkook looks up at his hyungs and shrugs, thinking it makes sense. While they might've protested in any other situation, they've got to take the risk now in order to restock.
"I'm sending another message to Y/n first," Jungkook says, determined, "the most noticeable one to her yet. Then we can go."
YOU ARE READING
On The Run || JJK ✔️
Fanfiction"Fast isn't in my vocabulary, Y/n." He smiles, head tilted with a playful gleam in his eyes. "Want to find out what is?" // In which two students find themselves on the run from a dictator government hunting them down. Rankings achieved: #1 in dy...
