This is not normal, was all Jungkook could think as he kept touching his chest that felt so hollow. Now as his Blessing was gone - entirely and unmistakenably forever gone - there was a huge hole in his chest and Jungkook was confronted with the weirdest kind of emptiness he'd ever experienced. Save for his tummy complaining when it was empty and his steady heartbeat he could feel nothing in his upper body.

It... it felt incredibly wrong. A part of him that's been there his whole life, often giving him a hard time but always there for sure, was now missing and Jungkook was extremely uncomfortable with that. Again and again he ran a hand over the bandaged skin, awaiting to feel a hole where once his Blessing had filled him up. Now that part of him was... empty. Dead. Foreign.

"Is there even anything in there?", he muttered, catching Tae's attention.

The brunet turned towards him in his own hospital bed and looked quizzically at where Jungkook's hands were rested. " 'Course there is something", the elder went. "Y'know... stuff."

"Stuff", the younger repeated dumbly.

Taehyung shrugged and nodded. "Yeah, stuff. Lungs and... spine and... stuff. Important stuff you need to live, apparently"

Jungkook was still not convinced. He frowned at his chest hidden beneath thick layers of band-aids.

After he'd collapsed so spectacularily the nurses and doctors had to do an extra shift to patch him back together - Yoongi had said something about inner bleeding and whatnot. Since then four days or more had passed, four days of Taehyung and him sharing a room in the hospital, recovering.

As he'd woken up for the first time with countless needles and wires in his arms he had turned his head to the side just to see the brunet laying there, sleeping soundly. Jungkook had wept for three hours straight.

Then numerous check-ups had followed, somewhen his hyungs barging in and trapping him in a bone-crushing hug until Jungkook had to press the red button as he couldn't breathe anymore, nurses rushing in and dragging Hoseok, Seokjin and Jimin out with Yoongi trailing after them, scoffing. Not that it had stopped them to sneak in, hug him to death and stuff him with delicious food at every possibility. Taehyung next to him receiving the same treatment.

At the evening of the first day he was conscious, a doctor had entered the room and explained to Jungkook he had lost his Blessing. Was no longer a Blessed but an Average now. He had said something about tons of paperwork waiting for him once he was healed again because apparently that had never happened before in Korea and nobody was sure how to handle the formalities. 

And that was where Jungkook was stuck right now. Logically he had gotten everything the doc had said but physically... his body was still confused as to where that deadly yet familiar power was gone. He was a stranger in his own body.

"But I don't... I don't feel anything here."

Taehyung snorted. "Well that would be hella creepy if you could feel something there."

"But-"

The brunet shushed him and swung his legs down one side of his bed, feet padding on cool tiles as he made his way to Jungkook.

"There there." He hunched down and placed a gentle peck on the younger's wrapped-up chest, his warm deep voice filling Jungkook's entire being. "Now you have stuff and love in there. That better?"

Jungkook hummed contently and placed a hand beneath the singer's chin, pulling him into the sweetest kiss he could muster, wamth immediately flooding his system at the soft press against his lips and the sigh escaping Taehyung. With one last peck he pulled away, tugging the brunet up in his own bed and pulling him flush against his torso.

"Better", he confirmed with low voice, carding his fingers through soft brown strands of Taehyung's head propped onto his no-longer-empty-feeling chest. The brunet scooted up a bit and stole another chaste kiss from him and Jungkook laughed breathily, chasing after that heavenly mouth and engaging in another lazy, innocent kiss, revelling in the fact that he could. 

There was a great satisfaction in knowing he was no longer endangering Tae, in knowing he wasn't posing a life threat for his boyfriend. In knowing he could kiss him whenever he wanted to.

As they've both been out of the critical zone, the tubes and wires stuck in Jungkook's arm becoming less and less and Taehyung being rid of all of them the brunet had been on him in an instant and kissed the daylight out of the younger. Their first kiss had tasted like desparation and fear, had been an urgent clash of tongues and very unlike to what Jungkook had imagined their first kiss to be. But could one blame them? After literally crossing the threshold to death?

Now Taehyung was found more often than not snuggling in Jungkook's side, hugging him like a pillow and only letting go when the doctor pleaded him to let him do his work and examine his patient. But as soon as they were alone the brunet would crawl up on eye-level with Jungkook and they would get lost in the feeling of their lips moving against each other, slowly, tentative, catching up on what they'd missed out at for so long. Underneath barely-restrained passion lingering and a promise of what was about to come once they were both healed.

By now each of their friends had walked in on them making out at some point - Hoseok shrieking and rushing out loudly, taking the snucked in food with him, Jimin gasping then snickering and taking pictures, Yoongi scoffing and pointedly dropping his food delivery onto Jungkook's leg and Seokjin scolding them for not having common sense but mixing up his speech with "finally" and "about ing time" so the both of them coudln't take him serious.

Once even Namjoon had visited together with Jimin. The tall man had smiled broadly, showing his dimples, and firmly clapped on Jungkook's back before dragging the small author out of the room and discussing something with him in hushed voice. 

At one point a nurse had gotten pissy and told Taehyung to lay in his own bed. He'd just stared her down blankly then gotten out of Jungkook's bed to unsecure the wheels of his own bed and push it to Jungkook's until there was no space between the two frames, then gotten up his own bed and snuggled against the younger anew, tangling their legs and giving the nurse a provocative look. Gaping and with furrowed eyebrows the nurse had stalked out and pointed accusingly at the singer as if to say this was not over yet.

Sure enough she'd come back at night and tried to pull the bed away to its initial position. Bad luck for her Jungkook had been wide awake and grabbed the iron bedframe with both hands, stubbornly holding it in place. Woken up from the stirring and the nurses angry huffs Taehyung then had flung his hands out for Jungkook's headboard and hooked his bare feet under the lower end of his own bedframe. Cursing and panting heavily, the nurse had given up and left, Taehyung sticking out his tongue.

Days came and went by with the both of them just cuddling, nurses checking up on them, refilling the liquid in Jungkook's drip-feed and changing his bandages, measuring Taehyung's pulse and holding a light stick into his face. Nobody questioned their surprisingy good compostion - not since a doctor had caught Hoseok sneaking in fresh Japchae, the whole corridor smelling heavenly. He hadn't stopped the apologetic red-head though, only sighed and shaken his head. And by now even Taehyung and Jungkook knew they were called the 'bullhead couple' by the people assigned to them. They made sure to live up to their nickname.

Once Jungkook, still uncomfortable with his Blessing gone, had asked the doctor if he was feeling empty inside too, if he too had that hole in his chest. The doc had looked him up and down and offered him a small dose of anti-depressants. Jungkook hadn't asked again. But Taehyung was there, caressing his upper body whenever, running his beautiful fingers over the rough linen bandages and making the younger's skin tingle beneath, making him feel at least something.

When the brunet had been sound asleep in his arms Jungkook had messaged Seokjin to come over and talked to him for a long time. The eldest had said what he felt, or better not felt, was normal and he had to come to terms with it. That it could take a great deal of time though. But there was nothing to worry, his body just needed to adjust to new dynamics and so did his mind.

And that's how Jungkook had found himself browsing the internet for meditation instructions - like hell he would ask one of the nurses to set him up for a reiki course or something. The warm man at his side a steady calming presence as he breathed in deeply and got familiar with the feel of every part of his body. Breathed out and allowed everything to simply be. And when he was awake Taehyung did his best to fill the void.

The days flew by and before they knew it Jungkook and Taehyung signed the documents declaring their release from the hospital, both men as healthy as they could be. Hand in hand they left, grinning at each other and waving good-bye at the doctor who had been responsible for them, Taehyung blowing a mocking kiss to the scowling nurse who had tried - and failed - to separate them.

Chuckling in Jungkook's shoulder as the woman's gaze grew darker. Swinging their linked hands between them they crossed the treshold, the singer already naming an endless list of his favorite songs as Jungkook had promised he would finally sing for him when they were out. The idle chatter filled the younger's ears and he allowed himself to bathe in the sound of that rich joyous voice, humming in confirmation every now and then. They made for the parking lot, to their hyungs waiting to go home together, too engrossed in each other to notice something was off.

Until there was a loud distinctive click right behind Jungkook.

"Jeon Jeongguk", a rough voice snided, the tone a cold command. Something hard and cool pressing against the back of Jungkook's head. Jungkook froze. He gripped Taehyung's hand harder, palm turning sweaty, eyes darting around frantically.

On cue, at least twenty policemen closed in on them, trapping them in a tight circle. Every single one heavily harmed. Pointing their guns at the stunned black-head. 

The pressure against his head grew stronger. "Jeon Jeongguk", the man behind him repeated, voice unforgiving. There was a metallic clank and then Jungkook felt two heavy rings closing around his wrists, crisp and cool on his skin. He didn't fight the shackles, didn't move. Couldn't.

His mind went still.

"You are under arrest for committing serial murder."

Surprise!!!