Take Me to the Sky | BTS+

Barber Shop Quartet

A few frightened bystanders fluttered into Jungkook's path as he limped through the bright hallways of Noon Mool toward's Jin's suite. He waved off their concerned looks and pestering questions, and they all reluctantly let the young master be on his way without their help. Their anxious eyes followed after him, and several of them tried to page Jin in the medical bay, but to no avail.

The adrenaline shot was still fresh, and Kookie could still feel it in his fingertips. He would be fine for now.

Jungkook eventually dragged himself into Jin's pristine, white-pink-and-baby blue suite. He heaved his way past an art collection of Water Lilly styled paintings, a ceramic poodle statue, and a white sofa that looked like a cloud... and made his way up to the good doctor's bathroom door.

"Just a little more." Jin's voice echoed through the cracked bathroom doorway, along with the buzzing sound of an electric shaver.

Tae's agitated voice replied, "I swear if you make me look like a bucket head, I'm going to shave you bald while you're sleeping."

Chim giggled, "Tae, it's just hair. It'll grow back.

"Says the guy who does a hair soak wrap once a week!" Tae wasn't amused.

Joon's voice boomed over the chaos, "This isn't about looking how you want, Tae. This is about making sure you're ready for the gala."

"But why isn't Jin shaving your hair?" Tae whined.

Joon said superiorly, "Because my undercut hasn't grown out that much. You're starting to get a mullet, man. But this isn't that kinda party, so."

"Also, my bathroom is a no-mullet zone. They may enter, but they never leave alive." Jin cackled.

"Hyung, you're scaring me," Tae answered.

Jungkook couldn't take the joyous suspense any longer. He pushed open the cracked door.

Four sets of wide eyes settled upon him. Then four mouths opened wide and screamed.

They rushed at Jungkook in a whirlwind of a group hug, yanking and pulling him and patting him to celebrate. And to make sure he was actually real.

That is, until he shouted over their swarm of joy, "GUYS!"

And then his four dear hyungs all stepped back to take in the sight of him properly.

Their faces fell--especially Chim's--as they took in the streams of cuts and scrapes that tore across Jungkook's skin from head-to-toe. Bruises were flushing up under his left eye, along the length of his thighs, and beyond. Though he stood with confidence, he was slumped to one side, and his left arm hung at a nauseating angle.

Jungkook broke the tension to say through his pleased grin, "Think you could hold off on that haircut and fix me up, doc?"

The black haired Jin shoved the shaver into Joon's hand superiorly. "This responsibility falls to you now. I'm counting on you." Jin gave Joon a dramatic pat on the shoulder then stepped towards the young pilot.

Kim Namjoon looked down at the electric shaver in his hands like someone had just told him for the first time that he was about to become a father: honored, and terrified.

Tae complained, "I think Jin's already done enough--"

Chim snatched the shaver from Joon's awestruck hands and clicked it on, the buzzing beginning again and the golden man's eyes narrowing towards Taehyung in a feisty challenge. "I don't think so."

Meanwhile, Jin put a hand on Jungkook's shoulder and guided him out of that pristine pastel colored suite and down the hall, towards the medical bay.

"I'm surprised you're even standing, to be honest." Jin's voice betrayed how impressed he truly was as he eyed Jeon Jungkook's sorry state all over again.

"Me too, man. That adrenaline pen is keeping me going for sure."

"Ah, that explains it. I mean, your ankle is definitely broken. Your walk is all wrong! Or did you not even notice?"

Jungkook looked down, then looked apologetically at Jin.

"How much of the shot did you use?"

The young pilot shrugged. "All of it."

Jungkook felt a WHAP. His hand jerked to the back of his head where Jin had just smacked him.

"What was that for?!"

"For being that idiot who didn't read the label and coulda given himself a heart attack. Now c'mon, let's start with getting your limbs set properly again. It'll take me a few hours, but we've enough Medi-Mysterium reserves to set you right."

"We in a hurry or something?"

"Yeah, kid. For one thing, you won't last long on that adrenaline shot, and when you do come down from it, it ain't gonna be pretty. And for another, in a few days you're gonna be the lead in a recon mission. So we need you up to speed."

"Recon for what?"

"Saving our asses from going Dark."

"Wait, what do you mean? We have plenty of Mysterium reserves...."

"Chim didn't tell you about the robbery?"

Jungkook shook his head.

"Yoongi and Hoseok stole our latest shipment of Mysterium reserves when they busted outta here. We're not desperate yet but we could be soon." Jin's eyes narrowed in Jungkook's direction. "Where is it you almost died again?"

"The Crux galaxy. I was checking out a potential mine."

"And you didn't find anything?"

Jungkook swallowed hard, but Jin didn't notice. "No. I didn't."

"Well you better pull off this recon mission then, kid, or else this Medi-Mysterium will have been a waste. I'm not running low at the moment, but we're also not in combat mode around here. If we were, I don't know how long we'd last before...."

"I'll pull off the mission. Don't worry, Jin."

"Not with that broken arm, you won't. C'mon, move it." Jin continued to push Jeon Jungkook on down the hallway of vaulted white ceilings and indigo carpets. The amazed doctor shook his head in relief and disbelief all over again that their golden child had returned, by some miracle, alive.

As they passed by an open door, Jungkook glanced inside to see a woman with reddish hair reclining lazily on a sofa, and a tall blonde woman pacing the room while reading from a notebook in her hands.

At the sight of the blonde woman, an electric blue light snapped and flashed across Jungkook's eyes.

Wait. Did that just happen? What...what was that?

He let Jin continue to push him down the hallway, his thoughts reeling and his head stirring with a faint humming sound. He wasn't sure if it was from the adrenaline shot... or from something else entirely.