There’s blood everywhere and Jimin is quiet too quiet and he can’t breath and he’s burning up-

“-Kook? Jungkook-!” 

“Hyung- he’s not moving- he’s so quiet I don’t know what to do-!” The younger was nearly in hysterics and Taehyung tried to talk over him on the other side of the line. 

“Who’s not moving? Jungkook!” Taehyung shouted and Jungkook instantly stopped, inhaling a shaky breath as he tried to clear his mind. 

“Jimin. Jimin isn’t moving at all,” he rasped out. 

“And who is Jimin?” Taehyung asked, voice calm and soothing. 

“He’s uh- He’s a hybrid, that lives with me-” The younger sobbed out, wiping away the tears that had started to fall. He heard some rustling on the other side of the line, Taehyung mumbling something incoherent and he waited tensely for the other to tell him something, anything. He knew that Taehyung would help him, wether he liked it or not. That was why he had called the older, because he trusted him. 

“Okay- okay, what’s his condition?” Taehyung asked after a few silent moments. Jungkook sniffled and looked closer at Jimin.

“H-he has a nosebleed and- and he’s really warm. He just vomited too,” Jungkook managed to mutter out. 

“Okay, if Jimin is lying on his back, move him so he’s lying on his side instead. In case he’s going to vomit again.” Jungkook quickly did as he was told, laying his phone down before gently moving Jimin’s body. He almost cried out in relief when Jimin groaned, slurring out “Why won’t you let me sleep-” 

The younger scrambled for his phone again and quickly put it to his ear. 

“What now?” He stuttered out. There was another silence before he heard some more rustling. 

“I’m going to your house. In the meanwhile, clean Jimin up.”

Jungkook said his thanks and ended the call before practically running to the bathroom, picking up a towel and soaking it in warm water before he ran back to his bed. Jimin flinched away from the wet towel when Jungkook put it to his nose, frowning as he struggled to open his eyes and squinted at the younger.

“What are you doing Kookie-?” He tried to swat the hands away but Jungkook held his chin, keeping him in place. 

“You have a nosebleed, Jiminie.. I have to clean you up,” he managed to whisper out without sounding choked up. Jimin scrunched up his nose and Jungkook prayed that he wouldn’t sneeze. After making sure that Jimin was less bloody, Jungkook cleaned up the vomit and opened one of the windows, before sitting down on the floor beside the bed and holding one of the older’s hands in his. 

He didn’t know how long he’d been sitting there, staring worriedly at Jimin, but the sudden ring of the doorbell startled him and he quickly scrambled to open the door. 

He felt relief fill him and nearly fell down in a heap to the floor when he saw Taehyung standing before him, holding some plastic bags, glasses perched on his nose and hair a mess as he looked tiredly at the younger. Jungkook let him in and the older put down the bags before he noticed the lump on the bed. Taehyung made his way to the hybrid, putting a palm to Jimin’s forehead to feel his temperature as he knelt beside him.

“I didn’t think he’d be this cute..” Taehyung muttered under his breath, so quiet Jungkook almost missed it, but there were more pressing matters at hand. 

He gnawed on his lower lip, anxiously waiting for Taehyung to do something. 

“I’m pretty sure he has the flu. How long has he been living with you?” Taehyung asked calmly, no accusation in his voice but Jungkook couldn’t help but feel guilty that he hadn’t told anything to the older.

“He’s only been here for two days,” he murmured out, tugging nervously at the hair on his nape. “Before I took him in, he was only wearing a hoodie to cover himself from the cold..” He trailed off and Taehyung hummed, getting up and rummaging through one of the bags. 

“I’m going to give him some medicine,” The older stated and Jungkook could only nod, feeling the exhaustion creep up on him now that the adrenaline started to wear off. He walked over to the bed and sat on the edge by Jimin’s side, who’s eyes fluttered open and he looked confused, eyes unfocused as he stared right at the younger. “You smell funny,” he groaned out, trying to get up but Jungkook gently held him down.

“Hyung, you shouldn’t get up.” 

Jimin huffed, before completely stilling when he noticed another presence in the apartment. Taehyung knelt beside Jimin, with a glass of water in one hand and an antiviral in the other. 

“Hi, Jimin. I’m Kim Taehyung, Jungkook’s friend..” He introduced himself to the hybrid, voice soft and quiet. The hybrid sniffed, trying to blink through his watery eyes. “Everything smells wrong..” He croaked out at last.

Taehyung brought up the antiviral to Jimin’s lips, trying to get him to open up. “Jimin, can you please take this medicine? It will make you feel better in no time! The smell will go away too,” Taehyung prodded some more, voice now light as he gestured for Jungkook to help Jimin up so he could eat the medicine and drink the water, before gently laying him back down. Taehyung walked back to the kitchen, leaving Jungkook and Jimin alone again. 

“...Why do you look so scared,” Jimin whispered, ears flattening down to his head as he brought a shaky hand up to cup the younger’s face. Jungkook sniffled, wiping away the snot on his upper lip with the back of his hand and cleared his throat. “It just, uh- There was a lot of blood,” he mumbled, feeling embarrassed that he had to admit to the older that he had been worried, scared less even. 

He sat with Jimin until the older’s eyes fluttered shut, chest rising up and down in deep, even breaths, before getting up and sitting with Taehyung on the couch, who was eating a burger as he watched some movie on Jungkook’s laptop. They sat in silence for a while, Jungkook feeling his anxiety rise with every bite Taehyung took. 

“Spit,” the older said in the end, some bits of food actually flying from his mouth and landing on the floor but Jungkook couldn’t feel angry or irritated past the guilt he felt. 

“Jimin- I met him- or well, I saw him for the first time in the playground a few months ago..” He started, unsure where or how to actually continue. 

Taehyung just nodded, letting out a “uh-huh” that sounded non-committal but Jungkook knew that he had his full attention. Taehyung was all ears and Jungkook just felt even more nervous.

“A few weeks ago, I started talking to him- And a few days ago, I just- I don’t know, I guess I started to care a lot for him. Or I was just really lonely, so I took him home.” He glanced at Taehyung and saw that the older looked sad and his own eyes widened, knowing exactly what the older was thinking. 

“N-no! I know that I have you guys and you’re always there for me, I know. It’s just, it’s the kind of loneliness that comes at 3am on a weekday, you know?” Jungkook ranted, feeling his cheeks heat up at the confession but he couldn’t stop. 

“And I don’t want to burden you guys even more.. You’ve already done more than enough for me..” He trailed off at last, flinching when he felt Taehyung’s greasy hand pinch his cheek and he stared at the older, who’s own cheeks portruded out like a chipmunk’s as he continued to stuff his mouth with the burger. 

“Aw our Jungkookie, always so considerate. We’ve raised you so well--!” The older mumbled, voice muffled because of the mouthfull when he suddenly started choking and Jungkook quickly gave him a water bottle. 

After Taehyung’s choking and coughing fit died down, they just sat there and stared at Tony Stark, who had just confronted the fake Mandarin, in all his tight sweatpants glory.

“So what now?” Taehyung asked and Jungkook looked at him in confusion. “I’m too tired to argue with you at the moment, so what do you have in mind? Are you just going to keep him? How are you going to do with money? The rent? Insurance and vaccines for Jimin? Legally adopt him and sign all the documents?” 

“For a tired guy, you just can’t seem to shut up, can you?” The younger grumbled under his breath and let out a squawk when Taehyung kicked his shin. He let out a deep sigh and sunk down into the couch.

“.. I know that I’m practically broke. But I’m going to search for more jobs.” Jungkook said, voice tiny and unsure. Taehyung let out a huff.

“you’ve barely had him for a few days and look, you’re already struggling! Struggling even more.” He groaned, tired and irritated at everything at the moment. He didn’t mean to be, well, so mean to the younger, but the kid had a lot on his shoulders. It was a matter of time before he collapsed, fragile, like a house made of cards.

Jungkook ran a hand through his hair, frustration and fatigue evident on his face and the way his body slumped.

“I’m not going to give up on him. I won’t.” He said, voice strong and more sure than it had been a moment ago and Taehyung knew he couldn’t change the younger’s mind. He was too damn stubborn for his own good.

Taehyung was worried for the boy. All their friends were worried for Jungkook. Heck, even Bae Joohyun was worried for Jungkook, and she only saw him whenever he visited the clinic, which was once in a blue moon. The clinic..

“Hey! I know that you’re stubborn and won’t change your mind so I’m going to help you instead and so I thought why not start working in the clinic?” Taehyung stared at the younger, rambling away at him without pausing for breath. Jungkook was staring back at him with eyes wide as saucers. “Wait, really? Can I really do that?” He asked, disbelief lacing his voice and Taehyung nodded his head vigorously. 

“And while you’re there, you can search up on adoptions paper and stuff.” The older said excitedly, before guilt filled him. 

“I know I said that you had to go through a lot of if you’re going to adopt a hybrid, but it’s actually easy. Really easy. And you don’t even need that much money. Well, you need a lot of money, but you’ll be able to handle it, I’ll help.” Taehyung grinned sheepishly at the younger, who was still surprised. 

He had been worrying unnecessarily, all this time.

“I don’t even-- Thanks, hyung. Thank you so much.” 

“Anytime, whenever, wherever, young duckling. Just call us hyungs and we’ll help you!”

“Are you feeling better?” 

It was afternoon and Jungkook was sitting on the edge of the bed, running his hand through Jimin’s hair that was damp with sweat. 

“I’m feeling a little better,” the older croaked out, eyes closed and ear twitching under the younger’s touch. Jungkook had stayed up the remainder of the night, sitting with Taehyung as the older told him facts about canine hybrids, until he had to go back home in the morning. Jungkook slept on the couch for a few hours before waking up and checking up on Jimin. 

Apparently hybrids’ healed faster than humans, so the flu should be gone in a few days.

“Jiminie,” Jungkook whispered, lips spreading into a wide grin. “I’ll be able to adopt you!” 

Jimin’s eyes fluttered open and he looked at Jungkook with a tender gaze, a small smile on his face. 

“Now that I have nothing to worry about- Well, nothing to worry about that much, I want for you to meet my friends!” The younger said excitedly. The hybrid’s ears twitched in interest but there was a small frown on his face. 

“What if they don’t like me?” Jungkook took Jimin’s hands in his and smiled gently, eyes soft as he looked into Jimin’s worried gaze. 

“I know that they’re going to like you a lot, Jiminie.”