I wake up in the morning and stretch, before wincing at the pain that stabs my gut as I do so.

“Oh yeah…” I mumble. I lie on my back and stare at the ceiling, watching the comforting morning sunlight start to decorate my room. Our room.

I don’t remember when I fell asleep, but I remember waking up more than once to the hot contact of Jungkook’s skin against mine. Fingers intertwining with mine, one arm ever so gently draping around my chest, but keeping himself far enough away that he wouldn’t accidentally cause me any pain. I look over at his form, still asleep under the blankets. I gently his dark messy hair, and he stirs ever so slightly.

I try to get up as quietly as I can, and change into some fresh clothes for the first time in days. As I struggle with removing my shirt, strong, calm hands cover mine from behind and help me slowly lift the garment over my head.

My pulse is rushing, and I try to breathe normally. I fail.

I stand facing the bookshelf, half , vulnerable. Yet, I feel safe as Jungkook traces his fingers down my back, leaving fiery trails of his hot touch. He reaches the bandage wrapped around my torso, this one far less bloody than the first now that the wound has begun to really heal. I can feel his fingers fidgeting with the wrap, then slowly he unwinds it, arms coming around me each time he undoes a layer. I tell myself the sweat starting to bead on my forehead is from the warm spring day, and I almost buy it.

“Jin stitched you up well.” Jungkook whispers when the bandage finally falls to the floor.

“Mhmm,” Is all I manage. His fingers tenderly brush the edges of the wound, and I try my hardest not to wince.

“I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry.” He whispers, his arms falling to his sides.

I turn around to gaze up at his sorrowful brown eyes. His hair falls in front of his face, but I reach up and brush back the locks to more clearly meet his eyes with mine.

“It’s okay.” I offer, but he interrupts me.

“No, Jimin. You don’t understand. You told me last night that I was just doing what Taehyung told me, that it was his choice, but you’re wrong.”

A couple tears slip onto his cheeks. I cup his face with one hand for comfort as I listen in confusion.

“I love Taehyung like my brother, but when I looked at you, bleeding in that store and knowing that if I went back for him you might die… I’m sorry Jimin, but I knew I would choose you. The thought of losing Taehyung was unbearable, but nothing like the torment I felt when I thought of losing you to be eaten or bleed out before we reached home. I know I betrayed Taehyung and I’m so sorry. I should have known Dahyun was acting different from the start, I was just so relieved to find out she was alive. But when she kissed me and you walked away, I knew immediately that she didn’t hold my heart anymore. You did. I didn’t think you would ever think of me that way though, so I held her hand and let her lead us to that trap...Jimin I’m sorry. I’m sorry, I’m-”

Before his stupid mouth can say ‘sorry’ one more time, I meet his lips with mine. He’s stiff for a moment, but then he softens up and deepens the kiss, our lips moving with passion and longing. He places his strong, gentle hands on my upper back, careful to avoid my injury, and pulls my body in close to his. My own hands find the hem of his shirt, and make their way under to his chest, resting over his heart.

I can feel its quick beat mimicking my own, and as we kiss I feel myself falling deeper and deeper into Jungkook’s gravity.

Suddenly a pounding ache erupts in my stomach, causing me to break the kiss and double over, wrapping my arm around myself.

“What, what’s wrong??” Jungkook looks at me with concern.

“It’s- don’t worry. I’m okay. I’ll be okay, I just need to heal.” I try to straighten up and brush it away, but a wave of dizziness overcomes me and I decide to just lie back down for the moment. Jungkook kneels over me, pulling the blankets back up offering to get me water.

“I’ll be right back. You’re sure the knife didn’t puncture anything inside you…? Jin said he couldn’t tell that there was any internal damage, but you never know.”

“Kookie, I’ll be fine. Don’t worry.” He leaves for a moment and comes back with a cup full of water and more painkillers.

“Thanks. And hey,” He looks at me with a mixture of guilt, concern, and love, and I can’t help but brush my fingers along his cheek in adoration. “I forgive you. For everything.”

Jungkook watches me with glistening eyes, then smiles, and places a gentle kiss on my lips.

“You’d better be okay, dummy. I need you.” He says. I grin.

“I need you too, Kookie.”

The rest of the day I lie down as much as possible, though I eventually manage to make it to the couch and hang out with the others. Taehyung, lounging next to me on the sofa, is rather talkative, embellishing his story of the attack and making everyone else roll their eyes with amusement. Despite being animated and hyper, his face seems a bit more gaunt than before, probably from exhaustion, and he has to sit down and rest often.

Hoseok, on the other hand, is rather tame for his usually energetic personality. Sitting in the armchair,  he keeps a close eye on Taehyung, but I see him slipping a genuine smile out every once in a while at Taehyung’s embellished retelling, and I’m not too worried about him. Every one of us was worried about Taehyung, but for Hoseok it must have been a nightmare. I imagine I’d feel much the same if it were Jungkook in his place, and I don’t blame his anxious watch over his best friend.

“What did I tell you? Go sit down!! You need to keep off of it!”

“No, I need to walk on it more so it doesn’t get stiff!”

“It actually needs a chance to HEAL FIRST!” Jungkook, lying on the floor leafing through a book, chuckles at the back and forth between Jin and Namjoon coming from their room. Yoongi emerges a moment later, shaking his head.

“Can a man just write music in peace…” He spots me curled up on the couch.

“Ah Jimin! Hey, do you think you can try this piece out for me? I’ve been working on it for a few days, but I forgot to mention it since everything was kind of chaotic.” He reaches the couch and hands me a piece of paper with scribbled notes and lyrics. I scan over scrawled handwriting on the crinkled paper.

“Geez Yoongi, these are sad!” He just shrugs.

“Sometimes when you write sad things, it’s like freeing your emotions on the paper, and putting them into words and lyrics takes them from inside you and suddenly you have room to feel happy again.” He says. I nod in understanding.

“Alright...I’ll give it a shot. Don’t hate me if I’m shakier than usual, I did just get stabbed in the back.”

I try to pretend that the others aren’t listening, and take a breath. I feel strangely more secure about singing in front of them than the first time, even though I haven’t practiced this piece at all.

“Like those dead leaves that have fallen and are flying

My love is collapsing without strength

Your heart is only going further away, I can’t grab you

I can’t grab you any more, more, more

I can’t hold on more, yeah

I want you who makes eye contact with me

I want you who wants me again

Please don’t fall

Please don’t collapse

Never never fall

Don’t go far, far away

Baby you, I can’t hold onto you

Baby you, I can’t give up on you

Like the dead leaves that fell

This love is like the dead leaves

Never never fall

It’s withering

Why can I still not give up on you?

I hold onto the withered memories

Is it greed?

The lost seasons I tried to restore, I try to restore them

Blaze them brightly

It was all pretty, wasn’t it?

Our pathroads?

But it all withered

The dead leaves fall down like tears

The wind blows and everything drifts apart

The rain pours and shatters

Until the last leaf, you, you, you

I want you who makes eye contact with me

I want you who wants me again

Please don’t fall

Please don’t collapse

Never, never fall

Don’t go far far away”

    Though I started strong, my voice ends in a whisper. There’s something about the lyrics, no, maybe something in the air? Taehyung’s breath beside me, Jungkook’s fingers flipping the pages of the old book, something feels off. A subtle, unexplainable uneasiness comes over me, and though I still can’t place exactly what’s causing it, I can’t seem to shake it.

    “My lyrics hardly do your voice justice.” Yoongi’s compliment snaps me back to the present, and I blush.

    “Thanks Jimin. I think I’m actually going to change it up a little and maybe turn some of the lyrics into a rap, but besides that it’s exactly how I was hoping it would sound.” I hand him back the paper, and I see Jungkook looking up at me over his book, admiration and happiness gleaming in his eyes and I completely forget about the unease that had come over me so suddenly.

    “Hey Yoongi, can you pass me a blanket?” Taehyung calls from the couch as Yoongi walks down the hallway back to his room.

    “Get it yourself!” Comes the call back. Taehyung sighs, and Hoseok chuckles.

    “I’ll grab you one, Tae.” Jungkook grins, dog earing his place in his book and setting it down to fetch a blanket from the hallway closet.

    “You’re the best!” Taehyung declares.

    “Yeah, yeah!” Jungkook replies.

    “I don’t know why you’re cold though. It’s nearly summer, and I’m sweating.” I say, curious.

    “Yeah, I don’t know. I’ve just been freezing ever since I got back.” Taehyung shrugs, taking the blanket from Jungkook and wrapping himself tightly to control his shivering, which I don’t know how I hadn’t noticed until now. Jungkook and I exchange a worried glance, not sure what it might mean, but hoping that it isn’t a sign of something worse going on with him. Hoseok doesn’t seem to be too concerned though, sitting in his chair and chatting casually with Taehyung, so Jungkook just shrugs and picks up his book, then settles into the couch next to me and picks up where he left off as I rest my head on his shoulder.

    “It’s nothing,” I whisper to myself. “It’s nothing.” Jungkook pats my head comfortingly, and his touch is enough to calm me.

    “It’s nothing,” I repeat in my head, forcing myself to believe it.

Well guys, it's been about a year since I started (and stopped) posting this story... I don't know what possessed me to take it up again but I suppose since school hasn't started yet it's better late than never. ^-^ 

Hope you enjoy! Please please subscribe and comment! (Seriously...I live for your comments!!) Hope everyone's summer is going well, and good luck everyone going back to school! <3