Rain || Taekook

Chapter Four

Jungkook could barely move his hand to pick up the phone. His fingers shook, his blood still filled with adrenaline from the day's events. He managed to swipe the screen and answer the call. Jungkook lifted the phone to his ear. The device felt like lead in his hands. "H- Hello?" Jungkook said, his voice quivering as much as his body. "Hey idiot, what kind of move was that? Now I'm sitting alone at the shop and all the old ladies are shooting me pitiful glances like I just got dumped or something. The barista brought me a coffee on the house and patted me on the shoulder. You plan on picking me up and maybe apologizing, or should I just head back to my pla-" Jungkook hung up the phone before Taehyung even finished his sentence. Jungkook fell back onto his bed. The phone fell to the floor with a clatter that broke the muffling silence that had wrapped itself around Jungkook like the clouds had wrapped themselves around the city. Heart beating out of his chest, Jungkook closed his eyes and tried not to think about the relationship he was managing to destroy.

The sun was setting and Jungkook still hadn't moved. For just a few moments, the monochrome tone of the sky was stained with brilliant magentas and siennas and lilacs. The stifling quiet was lifted, and replaced by an air of awe and beauty. The magnificent hues that filled the sky bled into Jungkook's room. He opened his eyes to appreciate the stunning view. The sun fell behind the horizon and the colors faded. Pink and tangerine and violet were replaced by indigo, and then unfaltering black. Jungkook closed his eyes once more.

Jungkook was dragged from his incomprehensible dreams by a sudden impact. A cup of instant noodles had hit him straight in the ear. Raising a hand to his smarting ear, Jungkook opened his eyes to see Yoongi in his doorway. "You haven't eaten since yesterday morning. Figured letting you starve would be a disservice to Taehyung. Will you just please call the fucking man? He won't stop bothering me, he apparently really needs to talk to you. There's hot water in the kitchen." Yoongi gestured at the noodles in reference to his last statement. "Wait, what?" Jungkook was thoroughly confused. "I said, there's hot water in-" Yoongi began with an exasperated sigh. "Not that." Jungkook corrected. "Taehyung's been asking for me?"
"Yeah man it sounds urgent." Yoongi shambled out of the room. It had now been altogether too long, Jungkook thought, for Taehyung to still have alcohol in his system. If he wasn't drunk, then what? Why did he feel Jungkook up in the middle of a coffee shop and then call like he was really worried? Jungkook exhaled sharply and grabbed his textbooks. When in doubt, study, right?

Differential equations did not take Jungkook's mind off of Taehyung. Neither did derivatives, nor integrals. This stuff was all review, too. Studying math was Jungkook's one tried and true trick to keep his thoughts at bay. He'd even gone and made the instant noodles, but after two bites he began to feel nauseated. Jungkook's anxiety hadn't been this bad since elementary school. Taehyung had really ruined him. For years, Jungkook had wanted Taehyung worse than he had ever wanted anything. Now, Taehyung was right there. He wanted Jungkook back. Yet, something felt wrong. As consensual as the experience at the coffee shop had felt, Jungkook had a nagging feeling that Taehyung still wasn't in his right mind. Jungkook couldn't make a move- or accept Tae's advances- while he still wasn't sure that Taehyung was sober. For now, there didn't seem to be anything Jungkook could do. Well, there was one thing he could do. Jungkook had no idea how he could manage it without Taehyung's knowledge. He needed to get Taehyung a drug test.

The call with the hospital was unfruitful. Apparently, tox screens usually happened with the patient's knowledge. Jungkook would have to bring Taehyung in under some pretense in order to get the test. Jungkook sat, wracking his brain. What possible false pretense would be enough to get Taehyung to the hospital? Suddenly, it hit him. That night, the night when it had all started. Jungkook had cried out Taehyung's name in passion, but Taehyung collapsed from the alcohol and then thought the whole experience was a dream. It was very possible that Taehyung had hit his head, Jungkook thought. That would be enough to get Tae into the hospital. It had to be. For the sake of Jungkook's sanity.