Aftertaste | J.JK

His Nature

There's something off in the way he sends the email, making me automatically glance in the direction of his window.

For the first time, his curtains are drawn.

From. Jungkook

Elle...do you mind if I come?

My fingers are uncertain as I type yes. I'm not sure if my mother is in the house, but something sounds wrong. It might be just paranoia, and probably is, but I don't want to take any chances.

The moment I send the reply and get up to let him in the front door, I feel a pair of arms wrap around my shoulders.

When I look up, Jungkook buries his face on the narrow curve between my neck and shoulder. He looks upset, eyes tinged red and breaths uneven.

The sight makes me panic.

"Are you okay?" I ask, embracing him tightly. His body is trembling, and I throw my blanket around his shoulders. "Jungkook, what's wrong?"

His silence only makes everything worse. I can see the dark shade of his eyes fluctuate between silver-blue and the usual black, showing how exactly emotionally unstable he was. Silver-blue was his vampire colors, and he wouldn't show that unless he had lost control over himself.

I tug the blanket tighter around him even though I know he's not shivering from the physical cold, but from the one in his mind.

There was something very wrong here.

"Jungkook?" I ask, trying to sound soothing and gentle. "Will you tell me what's wrong? Where are your hyungs?"

He pushes away from me, pain filling his face. Something sparkles in the corners of his doe eyes as he speaks, voice traumatized.

"At the hospital."

What?

"What do you mean? Did someone get hurt?"

Then I realize I'm freaking him out even more, as the impending terror increases in my tone. I had to remain calm for his sake, even though the fear was killing me on the inside.

"They didn't tell me anything," Jungkook says, eyes narrowed to slits of anger. "Because I'm the maknae—because they think I'm too emotionally fragile to handle it. I'm always too young to know, but old enough to wait."

His eyes.

They were completely vampire.

His fists tremble, and I realize just how much the suspension is ripping him apart. The boys thought that it was better this way, by not telling him the truth.

But it wasn't the truth doing this to him, but the possibility of the worst.

Not knowing was worse than knowing sometimes, and that was exactly what was happening to Jungkook.

"Hey." I say urgently, already glimpsing the beginning of the fangs growing between his pressed lips. "Hey, Jungkook. It's okay. It's—"

"No," He snarls, his tone so feral it takes me aback. "Nothing's okay. Something has happened to V hyung, and no one—"

He stops all of a sudden, face horrified.

"I'm sorry." He breathes, the silver-blue of his eyes fading. His fangs retreat back inside his blood-red lips.

"I'm so sorry."

"No, it's okay." I assure him, voice urgent to let him know that he wasn't at fault. Never having any friends, my ability to comfort him was limited, but I try my best to ease his anger.