loser. ✓

ACT TWO ;; CHAPTER TWELVE

TRIGGER WARNING(?)

jeongguk's clothes clung tightly to his body - uncomfortably so, seeing as his skin was still damp from his shower. 

he let out a soft sigh as he once again tugged at the fabric and thought about heading back into the living room. i'm pretty sure yoongi would have left by now, he thought to himself, hands placed firmly on his mattress. and i think my shower sobered me up enough to function properly. are the others even still out there, though?

he adjusted the collar of his t-shirt before pushing himself up from the bed. his head was already starting to ache from the alcohol, and he wobbled as he stood up, but he pushed this aside with a quick stretch and headed back out into the living room - only to be met by hoseok. just hoseok.

"hey, uh-"

hoseok interrupted him with an eye roll. "look who finally decided to come to his senses. how long were you going to sit in your room pouting before realizing how many people you hurt in one night?" his tone was bitter, an unusual feat for someone who seemed to always be indifferent when it came to drama.

jeongguk frowned. it didn't seem like hoseok knew he was drunk - or had been drunk? jeongguk didn't entirely know what he was at this point. "i didn't mean-"

"i had to call the police," the older interrupted once more, lifting his phone from his side and waving it from side to side as if the brunette wouldn't know what it was. "taehyung went missing after jimin and namjoon decided three shots wasn't enough. the couple are out there looking for him right now. i'm supposed to be out there right now, but namjoon told me to wait for you to calm down. can you believe it? because i sure as hell can't."

"i'm sorry," was all jeongguk could mumble out, watching as hoseok lifted one of his hands to rub at his temples. now he understood why hoseok was pissed off. it wouldn't do taehyung much help to yell at the younger the whole time, but jeongguk knew the other was more worried than anything - and his impulses were to take it out on the source.

hoseok let out a frustrated sound - it wasn't necessarily  a sigh, but it wasn't really a groan either. "whatever, let's just... stop wasting time. jimin is looking nearby, and namjoon took a taxi to the north side of town to look. i'll go look in the downtown area, since a lot of drunk people go there sometimes. that leaves only one area uncovered by us, so you're going to look there. take your phone. we'll keep in contact with you if we find him, or if the police find him first. and if i find out you weren't looking at all, you better watch your damn back, jeon. understand?"

jeongguk's eyes widened as he nodded his head quickly, standing still for a moment as he watched hoseok toss a pair of shoes to his feet. for a moment he wondered where seokjin and yoongi went, only to remember that the younger of the two would have panic attacks often, and that he had probably been the cause of one. "understood, hoseok."

"good. now let's go find ourselves a drunk man-child by the name of kim taehyung."

-

jeongguk let out a slow exhale, stuffing his hands into his pockets with furrowed eyebrows. he swore under his breath and shook a few stray strands of his hair out of his eyes.

he'd only been searching for taehyung for less than fifteen minutes, and he was already bored out of his mind - though he couldn't deny the overwhelming worry that bounced around inside of him.

why hadn't any of the others texted him? why couldn't the police find him faster? they were the police - they always seemed to know where everyone was at any given second. at least he thought so. it always seemed that way to jeongguk.

(of course, though, jeongguk hadn't realized that police usually ask people who file a missing person report usually tell them to wait for twenty four hours or more depending on the situation. this situation, jeongguk would admit, didn't seem dire enough to send out an official search party just yet.)

jeongguk had to pause for a moment when he realized he was standing in the middle of an empty bridge. no cars were on the road at the moment due to the time of night, and a single person was standing on the edge of the bridge.

the brunette shrugged his shoulders before turning on his heels. this bridge usually lead out of-

wait.

stopping in his tracks, jeongguk turned his head back towards the shadowy figure of the person. had he nearly left a person on the side of a bridge, when they possibly needed someone the most? that... was disappointing. jeongguk was admittedly disappointed in himself.

as cold and asshole-ish as he came off as, he wasn't heartless, and he would always refuse to be just a simple bystander when someone was in need of help.

"hey," he called out, approaching the person at a slow walk before bursting out into a full run until he was close enough to be face to face with their back. instinct told him to grab onto them and pull them down, but at the same time, his mind was too clouded to reach out and grab onto whoever it was. "what-"

"i'm gonna fly, ggukie," the person slurred out. their deep voice was easily recognizable. jeongguk's eyebrows knitted together in confusion. how had he not realized sooner that he was speaking with taehyung? "like a bird. oh, bird's are so cute."

he latched onto the back of taehyung's jacket, balling the material up into tight fists. "taehyung, what the fuck are you doing?" his voice shook with emotions. is this my fault? jeongguk asked himself, glancing down at this feet for a quick moment before squeezing his eyes shut. guilt washed over him, along with a small wave of anger. what have i done? "you're- you're drunk, kim taehyung, please get down. please."

a soft hum from taehyung was all he managed to hear before the jacket was tugged from his grasp. 

in a moment of panic and fear, thinking taehyung had fallen to his death, jeongguk let out a bloodcurdling scream and grabbed onto whatever he could. when he opened his eyes, he was met with taehyung's concerned gaze, his eyes wide with surprise. though his vision was blurry, the older was evidently confused.

he collapsed against taehyung's chest. being intoxicated prevented the older from being able to support both of their weight, and so they both fell to their knees on the cold concrete of the sidewalk. 

jeongguk was a messy crier. 

the younger's tears were soaking taehyung's shoulder, and his nose was running. his cheeks were flushed red. his sobs sounded choked and almost strained. it was embarrassing, but he couldn't care less at the moment.

it wasn't until after taehyung sighed that the other spoke.

"i guess i gotta tell you everything."

-

[a/n:] i have finals coming soon and i'm not prepared at all but this story is ending soon and it's been a long ass ride omg

also i'm sorry if it's not as long as it could be or if it seems rushed :( because i just got really into the swing of things while writing this chapter so my brain kinda went stupid so i don't know half of what i wrote and i don't like proofreading heh