wonderland 「 jungkook 」

[twenty-two] i'm not myself

엉망진창 나도 날 모르게써.
i'm a mess; i don't even know myself.

jungkook parked the car and gathered up his school materials for what would be the last time in a while, seeing as it was the last day of the school year. he was immensely relieved; he had too much on his plate as it were without the pressure to get good grades added onto it. he needed to focus on making sure that alice was healthy. speaking of which, the girl hadn't come to school at all since the last day of testing, and on those days she left as soon as she and jungkook were finished with their exam. 

he was worried about her. he really was.

she hadn't seemed like herself in quite some time.

pushing these thoughts aside, he hurried out of the car and inside the house. upon entering, he hung his jacket and bag up. he'd expected complete silence, as alice had been bedridden for days, even weeks. so he was a bit staggered when he heard the sound of running water coming from upstairs.

so she's left the bed, he thought. that's a good sign, right?

still, he couldn't help but check on her to make sure, as he always did when she'd been home all day, making sure she'd eaten and whatnot.

he stepped unhurriedly up the stairs, each of his footsteps making the wood creak in protest of his weight. just proof of how much healthier he was now. and after the hunger he'd felt for years, the constant aching in his joints, stomach and head... he never wanted to go back.

he approached the bathroom door and pressed an ear to it, but all he heard was the water. he knocked quietly, but there was no response. frowning, he eased the door ajar and peeked through the crack. the mirrors were fogged up, and there was a warm humidity in the air. the light was turned off, the only illumination coming from the sunlight outside. it was so quiet other than the sound of running water that he would've guessed someone had forgotten to turn it off if he hadn't seen the silhouette of a young woman through the white showercurtain.

jungkook slowly opened the door wide enough that he could slip his body into the room, as if the creaking hinges would give her a fright. he closed it shut just as gently, and didn't think twice before slowly peeling his clothes off article by article. when he was bare, he stepped forward.

he stepped in the shower through the gap between the curtain and the wall, taking in the sight of her all the while. her pallid skin had turned sickly recently, but at the moment it was flushed a pretty pink with the heat of the falling droplets. unaware of him, she continued to wash her hair, and jungkook tried not to get distracted by the soapy shampoo cascading down her curves.

he stepped forward and slowly took her waist. she jumped with a yelp at the initial contact, turning her head swiftly in shock, but immediately relaxed when she saw his face in her peripheral vision. they said nothing.

when the suds had vanished from her hair, leaving the sillage of roses, he reached forward, dampening his entire front in the process, to grab the soap and rag. he began the process of cleansing her skin, taking his time to innocently glide the soap across her figure. all the while, they were still silent. just silent. and it wasn't exactly comfortable, nor was it awkward. it just held a certain tensity that didn't sit well with jungkook. especially when she stood there, motionless, unresponsive like a statue carved from the finest marble.

finally, he couldn't take it any longer. he needed to hear her voice.

"feeling any better?" he asked, voice cracking due to its lack of use.