teach [yoonkook]

[chapter 2]

"Hey, hyung."

Yoongi turned at the sound of Jimin's voice. "Hey."

Jimin closed the studio door behind him and sat on the vacant chair. Yoongi turned back to his work, messing with some effects and add-ons. Jimin sighed deeply and ran a hand through his hair, frustrated.

"Have you seen Jungkook all day?" Jimin started. "I have no idea where he is."

"Didn't you two have vocal practice earlier today?" Yoongi asked.

Jimin fiddled with his jacket, avoiding Yoongi's gaze. "Yeah; he said he was on his way but never showed up."

At this, Yoongi frowned, picked his phone up off the desk and dialled Jungkook's number. It struck him as odd that Jungkook would be quiet and reserved - even if he was sick. He was a stubborn, hard-working man that would push until his body started to wither. Jungkook would always mention if he was sick and even then, he'd be there for all schedules. Yoongi could be quite sure that Jungkook would pick up a call from him; he'd only ever call if it was a terrible emergency.

And then Jimin said, "His phone is off."

Jungkook picked up by the third ring.

"Hyung." His voice was weak and strained and he spoke only after multiple coughs.

"Where are you, Jungkook?" Yoongi asked, making eye contact with Jimin.

"At the dorm. I called PD-nim to tell him I'm sick. I thought he'd tell you but he must've been too busy."

Yoongi paused and gave Jimin a look. Understanding, he left the studio, not without saying goodbye to Jungkook who apologised through his exhaustion for missing their vocal practice.

"Do you want me to come over?" Yoongi asked when Jimin was gone. In reply, there was a loud thump. "Are you okay?"

Jungkook bore the pain of falling from his bed because Yoongi's question had caught him off guard and he hissed, "M'fine."

"I'm coming to the dorm, okay?"

Yoongi thought it was strange himself that he would offer to take care of Jungkook like this. Recently, he'd realised, he'd been acting quite odd; he'd been smiling more, laughing more, caring more - hell, he even stopped to think about what he'd wear this morning.

And Jungkook, tired beyond what anyone could imagine, let out a sound of confirmation.

-

"Yoongi-hyung," Jungkook started, keeping cautious, "I think it's better if I just order something for us."

Yoongi finally tore his gaze from the burnt food to face Jungkook who was lying on the couch in the living room. "You go do that while I clean up."

In the kitchen, as he was discarding the food, Yoongi's phone rang.

"Hey, Jimin."

"Are you at the dorm?" he asked and there was the sound of a car door opening.

Yoongi answered, "Yeah."

"Should I come over?"

Yoongi glanced at Jungkook who was ordering pizza over the phone, flipping through the channels on the TV as he did so. There was a lazy smile on his face and a grateful gleam in his eyes. "No, we're good. He's already feeling better."

There was a pause. "Okay." And then the car door closed.

"If you want to come, that's fine but-"

"No, it's alright, I've got some stuff to do anyways." The line went silent.

"Are you okay?" Yoongi asked patiently.

He heard a deep breath. "Yeah."

Jimin hung up.

Yoongi pulled the phone away from his ear, confused. He turned around to look at Jungkook who was already smiling back at him.

"Who was that?" Jungkook asked as Yoongi sat down next to him after cleaning the kitchen.

Yoongi ran a hand through his hair. "Jimin."

Jungkook nodded with a slightly dazed look in his eyes. Then he snapped back to the drama he was watching. He became distant and regularly got distracted by the smallest things. When a message from his brother caused Jungkook's phone to buzz, he grew obsessed with his phone and didn't look up until Yoongi asked him a question. He'd often fall into a terrible coughing fit and would have to drink water to suppress it. When the delivery man finally arrived, Jungkook paid quickly and silently with only a brief 'thank you' as their entire interaction.

"You good?" Yoongi finally asked.

Shaking his head as if to rid his mind of his thoughts, he turned to Yoongi with a sad smile and said, "Nothing you'd find particularly interesting."

"If something's wrong you know you can tell me, right?"

Jungkook stopped then lowered the pizza box. "Jimin's been kind of up and down recently; one day he'll be giddy and excited to see me, the next he's completely forgotten that I exist and even goes as far as ignoring me. I don't know whether I should be mad at him or not."

Yoongi frowned deeply. "Either way, you shouldn't worry. Only start to worry if you feel he's using you for someth-"

"And if I already feel like that?"

"What makes you think that?"

Jungkook turned the TV off. "He only comes to me when Jin's around. Like he's trying to prove something to Jin." He looked at his lap embarrassedly and laughed. "Sorry, this is really stupid. I shouldn't care. You shouldn't either."

Yoongi's nose scrunched up at that. "But it's affecting you negatively and because I think you're a good person, I should care." He paused to look Jungkook in the eye. "I think you should talk it out with him. Don't let this eat at you pointlessly."

Jungkook nodded. "Thank you."

"No problem."

Time passed slowly. In some sense it was comfortable but otherwise, Jungkook still felt astonished by what Yoongi had said. Through the many years he knew him, he'd never been openly compassionate. He tried to think nothing of it (for he had a fair amount of stress already on him) but he couldn't help but steal glances of Yoongi to see if he showed any signs of growing cold again.

His face was emotionless, only the faintest smile on his face.

So he left it at that and continued coughing.