Don't Come Inside • Jungkook

viii.

"No, Jimin- no, you have to stay here and rest," Hoseok pleaded, trying to block Jimin's path to the front door.

"I'm going to see Jungkook," he announced, his voice coming out as a hoarse whisper.

"No, you're going to get some sleep and drink something soothing to help your throat. Honey? Would you like honey? Or- or, tea, I could make you a nice tea-"

"I'm going to see Jungkook," Jimin repeated rather firmly (or as firmly as he could manage with just a whisper to carry his frustration.

"I don't think that's a good idea..." Hoseok began, but upon seeing Jimin's glare, he shrunk back. "Fine, just- you can't go alone, give me a second to change."

Jimin frowned but nodded, and as Hoseok rushed back to his room, Jimin set himself down on the arm of the couch. He'd been standing for just a minute when talking with Hoseok, but it was still to painful to put weight on his left ankle. He wasn't sure how he'd planned to walk all the way to Jungkook's apartment, but at least he'd be able to lean on Hoseok now.

Said hyung returned a minute later in a sweatshirt and joggers, grabbing two face masks from the drawer in the kitchen and tossing one to Jimin. "Thank you," he whispered, and Hoseok nodded, putting on his own.

"All right, either put your hood up or I'll grab you some sunglasses."

"It's fine," Jimin said, putting his hood up. Truth be told, the sweatshirt was actually Jungkook's - Jimin had been stealing some of his clothing lately - so the hood fell down almost to his eyes. Hoseok didn't say anything about it, just patted Jimin's head and grabbed a pair of sunglasses for himself. "All right, let's go. And when Namjoon starts yelling at me for not letting you rest, please remind him that this was your idea that you forced me into."

Jimin just smiled from under his hood and nodded, making the hood dip down over his eyes for a second, and then the two left the apartment, Jimin limping ahead with small, uneven hops and Hoseok joining him on his left and putting an arm around his shoulders to help ease the weight on his bad ankle.

They'd only been walking for a few minutes when Hoseok felt an odd pressure on his spine, as though someone were staring at him intensely. Afraid of being swarmed by fans, he looked back, but there was no one else on the sidewalk for at least 20 yards. He turned his head back to the front, looking over at Jimin to see if he'd noticed anything odd, but he was staring at the ground, forcefully monitoring his breathing.

"Let's take a break," Hoseok suggested, both to get rid of the odd feeling he'd encountered and to let Jimin rest up a bit. He knew that Jimin was really having a hard time because he didn't bother protesting, instead just nodding weakly and letting Hoseok steer them into the nearest cafe. They collapsed in a corner booth that overlooked the street, and Hoseok watched as people passed, trying to figure out if any of them had been the presence he'd felt, but they all seemed unconcerned as they passed by the cafe. He turned back to Jimin.

"How are you feeling, bub?" he asked, furrowing his brows sympathetically.

"I've been worse," Jimin mumbled, and while Hoseok believed it, his face was paler than when they'd left, although he looked to be breathing a little better now.

"Why don't you order something to soothe your throat while we're here?" Hoseok asked. While he was pretty sure that whatever he'd felt earlier was just an odd breeze, he'd feel better if they stalled a bit.

Jimin shrugged halfheartedly but seemed in little mood to resist, and a few minutes later, he was sipping a hot beverage while Hoseok continued to scan the street.

"Is something wrong?" Jimin asked abruptly, causing Hoseok to look over uncertainly, a hesitant smile fighting its way onto his face.

"Not really. I just think that maybe we should turn back for today. I'll take you to visit Jungkook when you're feeling better, all right?"

Again, Jimin just nodded weakly, staring down at his reflection in the dark liquid and saying nothing.

Hoseok paid for his drink before they exited the cafe and began heading back to their dorm, Jimin leaning heavily on Hoseok. Again, Hoseok felt an odd sensation, so he tried to hurry their pace a bit, causing Jimin to almost stumble. Apologizing, Hoseok slowed down once more but kept his eyes moving on the scenery around them, trying to pick out every person in their path, but again, none of them seemed interested in the pair. He knew he was probably just being paranoid and over-cautious due to recent events, but as they stepped foot inside their dorm and shut the door behind them, he was able to take a deep breath, the feeling from before gone.

"Are you okay?" Jimin asked, his voice sounding weak and more tired than before.

"Just had a weird feeling," Hoseok said before removing the sunglasses and face mask. "But it's fine, it's gone now."

"You should rest too," Jimin advised, discarding his face mask with Hoseok's before turning back to his room and going back to sleep, too tired from their small excursion to say much else.

Hoseok nodded, thinking over Jimin's advice and deciding that he was right, Hoseok probably just needed rest - he hadn't been getting enough in weeks, none of them had - and to let his mind shut down for a while. So he went to his own bed, getting comfortable, but he thought back to that odd feeling and shivered, unable to completely put it out of his mind. He got up and wandered into the bathroom, opening the medicine cabinet and removing a prescription bottle. He took out a sleeping pill, replacing the bottle before heading back to his bed, and within twenty minutes, he was dead asleep, odd feeling forgotten.