NAM LINA
My eyes snap open.
I'm on my feet the second I recognize Jungkook's strangled voice. My mind instantly goes awake, and I pump my legs as fast as I can towards his room.
When I see him, I want to yell at him in frustration.
The bandages.
It's made everything worse.
Why didn't he tell me? I think angrily, furious at him for bringing this upon himself and at me for causing all of this.
He's gasping for breath, fingers clawing at the tightly wrapped bandages around his entire figure. The ones on his cheek and face has already been torn off.
The skin there are the color of flames.
He might be passed out. But somehow his eyes are closed as he spasms violently, agonized sounds escaping low in his throat.
Somehow he's still asleep.
Quickly, I search for the ends of the bandages, growing more agitated when I can't. His forehead is slick with sweat, dark hair messy.
Finally I find it, the slightly-rolled up corner on the side of his upper body.
But he's moving way too much.
After a full five minutes of trying to get my nails under the bandage and shifting continuously because of his tossing and turning, I finally lose it.
Climbing on the bed, I press both of my hands on his shoulders. Huffing with exertion, I swing one leg over his body and pin him down.
I'm too urgent to even care about how this looks.
He eventually stops struggling under my grip, soft whimpers escaping his lips instead. Hooking my fingers to the bottom of his shirt, I manage to tug it over his head.
His body underneath tenses in the sudden cold air.
Then I curse— in the dim lights, I'd lost the end of the bandages. His chest rises and falls in uneven, rough breathing, and that only rushes me even more.
I'm so anxious— more anxious than I've ever been.
I run my hands over his bandaged body until I finally find it again. This time I hold onto it tight— determined not to lose it if he suddenly jerked.
I unravel everything.
The skin underneath looks so terrible I want to break down in tears. They're almost like burns, all raw and crimson and severely inflamed.
Once everything is finally off, Jungkook throws his head back down on the mattress. His lips are open as they suck in desperate mouthfuls of air, like he'd finally been freed after being suffocated for hours.
I turn my head away, and start crying.
This is all my fault.
I'm sobbing quietly into my shirt when I realize that he's awake. His hands are on my waist and thigh, and I hadn't noticed— because I was too busy damn crying.
And I'm basically still sitting on him.
"S-Sorry." I hiccup, my cheeks flaming in embarrassment as I scramble off. His brown eyes look worried, and my breaths stutter again.
"Why didn't you tell me, Jungkook? Why didn't you tell me that the bandages would make everything worse?"
His lips curve down.
"I'm sorry."
"No, I can tell that you knew what was going to happen." I say, my words tumbling out so fast it's all slurred together. "Tell me why."
There's a pause.
"Because I know you meant well." He says, voice soft and vulnerable. His fingers wrap around my wrist, touch pleading.
"Don't be mad, please."
"You should be the one who's mad at me." I mumble under my breath, before I cross my arms firmly together.
"And I'm sleeping with you from now on."
He looks up at me in surprise, and he sits up way too quickly. His features twist into a pained wince as his damaged skin sting against the sheets.
"You can't do that, Lina."
I really try not to show it, but a look of hurt appears on my face. He's avoiding my eyes, and my voice can't help but have an edge.
"You don't like me?"
"No!" Jungkook shouts, his brown eyes wide and urgent. "That's not what I meant."
He swallows, looking down at himself.
"I'm too disgusting."
I laugh, more relieved. Was that really the only reason he didn't want me to be with him at night? Gosh— I was so worried that he'd finally gotten tired of
me or something.
"Just because of your eczema?" I say lightly, messing his hair. "It's not disgusting, Jungkook. I don't care."
"You really don't think..." His voice trails off, eyes wide. Then realizing he must be cold— I quickly find another shirt and hand it to him.
"No." I say firmly. "Wait here, okay?"
Then hopping off the bed, I run back into my room and grab the fluffy pillow off the mattress. With it tucked tightly under one arm, I dash back to his room and tackle him down.
I burst into laughter.
"I'm sorry." I giggle, wrapping an arm around his warm shoulder. He's smiling a sort of a stunned- but-pleasant smile. "Did that hurt?"
"Not really."
So I hug him tighter, just wanting to swallow him whole. But obviously he's twice my size, so I shift my arm to his neck.
"I'm sorry you have to go through this."
There's a pause, and I blush freely in the dark when I feel him pull me closer. His breath is hot against my ear, making a shiver travel all the way down my spine.
"It's okay now that you're here with me."
________________________
JEON JUNGKOOK
She's fallen asleep.
My skin burns with pain, but it just feels like less when I focus on her hand in mine. It feels more bearable now— so much than before.
That night, I'd been planning to take my own life.
Even though I didn't have problems financially, I just didn't see point in life anymore. I'd been skipping school already for a month, just not wanting to be around people.
And they all hated me.
But then I'd found her. And ever since I'd woken up with tears in my eyes and my body on fire, with her hands clamped tightly on my wrists—
I'd loved her.
And I was just falling deeper.
_________________________
NAM LINA
"Jungkook, wake up." I say, seeing his flushed face. He's asleep and breathing softly, but his cheeks are so red with heat.
I let the window slightly open, letting in some cool air outside.
Calling him, I tug away his hand roaming against his forearm. He's scratching again unconsciously— features tight.
When I touch his cheeks carefully, it feels so warm compared to mine.
I had to cool him down.
"Hey." I keep repeating, until he finally snaps awake from his shallow sleep. He looks up at me, doe eyes wide and brown.
"Lina?"
I smile, wrapping my hand around his wrist. "Come here. Let's get you cooled down a bit, okay? It won't take long, I promise."
"Okay." He nods, lifting himself carefully from the mattress and following me to the bathroom. I turn on the cold water, and tap at his wrists.
"Run the water over your wrists. It'll help bring down temperature."
He blinks, nodding again. His face scrunches a bit when he feels the coldness of the water, the scrunch turning to a wince at the pain from his ravaged skin.
It hurts to watch him try to hide it all.
His face is way more cooler and paler by the time I hand him a towel. He smiles at me, features looking so much more relaxed than before.
"Thank you."
Then my face heats when he touches my face, brown eyes innocent. But his hand lingers, before he steps back with a forced smile.
He bites his lip and starts chewing on it, and I can practically read his mind.
I shouldn't have done that.
"Stop worrying." I laugh. Resting a hand on his shoulder, I get on my tiptoes to press my lips against his. When I break away, he looks stunned and red.
Too precious.
"You can kiss me any time you'd like."
*END*