"No you don't."
"What?"
"You felt the need to say that because I've been taking care of you, that's all."
He gives you an incredulous look, mouth opening and closing like a fish.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means that you feel bad for me and you said that so I could feel better," you say.
He grips you by the the straps of your tank top and pulls you to him.
"Do you really think I would do that? Take pity on you? Is that what you're saying?!" he growls into your face.
You're taken aback by his sudden outburst. He looks angry, but his fingers are gentle and the proximity of his face to yours is anything but hostile.
His eyes keep staring at your lips.
"I've felt like this for five god damn years, but you're just too stupid to notice anything."
Jungkook's breath tickles your face as he struggles to get the words out of him.
"I love everything about you - the way you look, the way you act, the way you you scrunch your nose when you're reading, the way you tend to put other people's needs before your own.."
His expression softens a little and his hands abandon your shirt to cradle your face.
"I love you, Y/N and nothing can change that."
Your vision turns blurry because of the tears threatening to spill.
Your lips quiver and you're just about to say something back, when a rustle of leaves makes you both freeze.
At the edge of the hollow, a man's feet appear.
You and Jungkook flatten against the wall, him protectively shoving you against his back, even with his injury.
The man's feet are illuminated by the moonlight, roaming around the entrance of the hollow, but making no attempt to get in.
He hadn't seen you.
You hold your breath, terrified to let out even the slightest sound.
The wet leaves under his feet crunch every time he makes a step and it feels like a clock ticking closer and closer to your doom.
Another pair of feet join him.
"Did you find anything?"
"No. But they can't have gone far. Not with that injured leg of his."
"If Jungkookie dies, I will kill you."
The man chuckles.
"You're in no condition to threaten anyone. I could shoot you in the head right here and no one would ever know."
"But you won't," the girl says." You need me to get your money."
"For now."
"For now," she echoes.
They both pivot and walk away in opposite directions.
You can hear the steps getting further and further, till the sound gets lost in the breeze.
The rain had stopped for some time, you notice.
"That was close," Jungkook whispers.
You wanna say something.
Anything.
You wanna scream to the world that you love him so much to the point where it hurts.
But you don't.
The words get clogged up in your throat.
So you just put your arms around his torso and give him a back-hug.
Leaning your head onto his back, you can feel the vibrations reverberating through his whole body when he speaks in a low voice.
"Aren't you gonna say anything?"
You just squeeze him tighter.
"That's more than enough, then." he says.
He puts his hands on top of yours and starts making circles with his thumbs.
You just stay like that, in silence, enjoying the company of each other's arms.
* * *
He'd fallen asleep.
The exhaustion must have finally gotten to him, you think to yourself, as you feel his weight on your front body.
He hadn't removed your hands from his torso, hadn't even moved an inch, but just let himself relax till the tiredness had eventually knocked him out.
You scoot back and let his head drop onto your lap.
His longish hair falls into his eyes and you move them out of the way.
You trace his face with your fingers, lingering on every edge.
Beautiful.
He was beautiful.
His eyes shoot open.
"Like what you see?" he says.
You huff a laugh and your shoulders shake with the action.
"I do, actually." you answer.
He grins immediately.
"What exactly do you like the most about me?"
You are about to give him a sassy comeback, but you give up halfway.
"Everything."
He looks a little taken aback, but continues nonetheless.
"What about physical features?"
"I like your scar." you say and your fingers immediately find the flaw on his left cheekbone.
That small imperfection was what made him perfect.
"Wait, you actually like that?"
You nod vigorously.
"What else do you like?"
He was really enjoying this.
"You have a nice... umm..physique."
His eyes narrow at your words.
"Be more specific."
"Oh for heaven's sake, you have nice thighs, god damn it! There, I said it!" You shout in a whisper.
His smile goes on full-bloom.
"No funny comments, no snarky comebacks... Wow, there really is something going on here."
"You look pleased as hell."
"I like to be appreciated."
"You literally have millions of fans doing that every single day."
"But I wanted to hear it from you, though."
You look at him pointedly for a while, then release a deep sigh.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'll stop." he says quickly and lowers your hands to his lips to kiss them.
Oh goodness.
He was just making it worse.
Goosebumps flare all over your body and it's the best you can do not to shiver.
"I should check your wound." you say with a forced air of nonchalance.
"Jumping right into the good stuff, aren't we?"
You tug at a string of his jet-black hair.
"Ow, ow.. sorry, sorry." he whines.
Your hands reach for his thigh, untying the strip of cloth with delicate hands.
This is not good.
It had started to get swollen, its corners red and puffy. If you didn't clean it fast, the infection would spread even more.
"I'm gonna go get some water." you say, already rising to your feet.
"With those guys wandering around the forest? Absolutely not."
"Your wound is infected. I have to clean it."
"It's too dangerous."
"You're gonna lose your leg."
"Better than losing you."
Your words falter in between your lips.
He grips your calf and looks at you behind his see-through bangs, doe eyes begging.
"Stay."
You had to go. You couldn't just leave him in this condition.
"Please." he adds.
You release a long sigh and get down to your knees, his eyes never leaving yours.
"We should get some sleep." you whisper. " We're leaving at dawn."
He offers you a bunny smile and envelopes you into his arms. You put your hair on his chest and just lay down together, savoring the warmth of each other's presence.
* * *
Eight minutes.
You had been counting non-stop, waiting for the sound of his steady breathing, the signal for you to do what you had to do.
You had to make sure he was really asleep before you left.
He was never gonna forgive you for it.
You knew that very well and you still proceeded to detach his hands from your arms, being extremely careful not to wake him up.
Thank God for his habit of sleeping like a log.
Soundlessly rising to your feet, you tip-toe your way out of the hollow. The ground is wet, the constant dripping of the water from the branches soaking it thoroughly.
First, you had to find something to fill up the water.
You scan the trees and bushes, looking for any decent-looking leaves.
There.
A few feet from you a shrub is in full bloom, its green, wide leaves hanging around it like a crown.
You pluck off a couple, careful not to rip them apart.
Wrapping them into a half sphere, you put them under a dripping branch and wait for it to fill up.
This was gonna take a while.
And the constant thoughts about having to let Jungkook on his own, unprotected, didn't make it any easier for you.
You prayed for him to be safe, prayed they wouldn't find him.
Drip drip drip.
The anxiety threatened to swallow you whole, all kinds of thoughts jumbled into your head in a disarray.
You look at your improvised bowl and notice that it's filled to the brim.You bend down to pick it up but the eyes staring at you in the reflection of the water make your breath hitch in your throat.
Then, something hard smashes into your skull, rendering you unconscious.
* * *
You open your eyes to semi darkness, dawn ready to spill its light on the top of the trees.
Your head pounds harder than the last time you got drunk with the boys.
The things you would give to go back in time...
There's none of that now.
Nothing except for the feeling of exhaustion weighing down your lids, your body an utter wreck.
There's a wetness at the back of your head. The feeling of something trickling down.
You know it's blood.
The terrible ache on your head was proof enough.
You look down at your body and almost scream at the sight.
They've tied you up against a tree, the rope digging into your wrists.
"Finally up, I see." you hear a voice nearby.
You turn your head from side to side, trying to locate its source.
The man is sitting on the ground, grinning at you like a psychopath.
"You know, she told me to kill you." he continues. "Get rid of you as fast as possible. But I didn't. I figured out I could easily sell you to the highest bidder with just a phone call. That Jungkook guy isn't the only famous one here."
You give him a look of disgust.
He keeps talking, unbothered by your indifferent behavior and gets in front of your face.
"So what I'm gonna do now is go get the car by the side of the road and then we'll go on a little trip, right sunshine?"
You spit into his face.
He flinches, hands reaching to wipe it off.
Then he slaps you so hard across the cheek, you see stars.
It stings like hell but you refuse to let out a sound, letting the anger build up inside of you instead.
He stands on his feet then storms off.
Bastard.
You'd never wanted to kill someone so badly. However the feeling of enragement gets replaced by raw panic.
What had happened to Jungkook?
Was he alright?
You hoped he was still asleep, safe from the clutches of these maniacs.
"Jungkook..."
"You called?" a voice is heard behind your back.
Two hands reach for the knot, trying to undo it.
Then Jungkook appears in front of you, sweat clinging to his forehead and a limp on his leg.
But he was okay.
He was safe.
You jump into his arms, squeezing him as hard as you can.
He does the same, pain and exhaustion all but forgotten.
"I'm so sorry." you say, voice muffled by his chest. " I didn't want to leave you alone but I had to."
"It's alright." he whispers. "I'm fine."
You breathe him in, letting his scent calm your nerves for just a second.
"We still have to go. He will be back soon."
You nod and grab his hand.
Ignoring the throbbing pain on your head, you sling his arm across your shoulder, letting yourself bear his weight.
"I'm alright, don't worry." he says and retreats his arm back.
You both sprint into a run and you know the pain on his thigh is killing him, but there's nothing you can do.
There's no plan.
You just run for your lives.
"Faster!" he gasps when he hears steps behind you.
It's the girl.
She has a gun in her hands.
You speed off, dragging Jungkook with you.
This was not gonna end well.
You had been caught up in between two fires. It was just a matter of time before you both got captured again.
The trees start to get rarer and rarer until a flowing creek appears in front of you.
It does not have a smooth flow.
The stream rushes fast and the rocks create whorls at every corner.
You don't stop.
It is now or never.
"Jungkook, I -
A shot rings in your ears and a terrible pain blooms on your shoulder.
The words don't make it out of your lips.
He doesn't let go of your hand and you fall into the water, dragging him with you.