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“ Jungkookieee! ”
Hoseok’s screeching voice drifts down the hallway to where Jimin is eating breakfast with Yoongi, Seokjin and Taehyung in the kitchen.
Jimin pauses, his spoon halfway to his mouth. It’s still fairly early– they’re all up before 8 a.m., which is a rare occurrence for a Saturday morning– and until Hoseok had gotten up, it had also been fairly quiet in the house.
Hoseok comes bounding in a moment later. He’s wearing only a towel around his waist, and he’s waving his phone around excitedly.
“Where’s Jungkookie?” He asks, his hair dripping onto his bare shoulders as he looks around.
“I think he and Namjoon are on a run,” Jimin tells him. “I heard them leave about thirty minutes ago.” He fixes Hoseok with a stern look. “Go dry your hair and put on clothes before you catch a cold!”
Chuckling in amusement, Hoseok hurries back to the bedroom to get dressed, and when he returns his hair is towel-dried. He heads straight to the coffee maker and paces back and forth in front of it while he waits, full of an excited energy that the others hardly seem to notice.
Five minutes later, the front door opens, and Namjoon comes in. He’s bundled up in a scarf and his winter coat and his cheeks are pink from the cold temperature outside. He kicks off his sneakers and unzips his coat, coming into the kitchen to grab some water.
“Where’s Kookie?” Hoseok asks, peering over Namjoon’s shoulder.
“He’s still sleeping, I think,” Namjoon replies. He fills a glass with water at the sink and then sets it down on the table, rubbing his hands together to warm them up before he sits down. “He wouldn’t get up with me this morning. He was grumpy as fuck when I tried to wake him up, actually.”
“That’s weird,” Yoongi comments with a frown.
Jimin finds himself frowning, too. It isn’t like Jungkook to skip his morning run, but it especially isn’t like Jungkook to be grumpy.
“He must have stayed up way too late last night,” Seokjin says, but Taehyung shakes his head.
“He went to bed first last night,” he replies. “He was falling asleep during the movie, remember?”
“Ah,” Yoongi nods knowingly. “Winter.”
It’s a well known fact that Jungkook detests winter. Whenever the season comes around, he spends as much time in his bed as possible. The first few winters they’d had together had been rough– Jungkook had struggled a lot with seasonal affective disorder, and with the effect the change of weather always had on his health, and with his intense dislike of the snow– but these days, they have a whole routine in place to keep their youngest as warm and happy and healthy as possible during the dark, cold winter months.
“Let him sleep a little longer, then,” Jimin says softly.
A sneeze from the doorway startles all six of them, and they turn to see Jungkook shuffling in, still looking half-asleep as he makes his way over to the refrigerator.
“Bless you!” Hoseok chirps, watching fondly as Jungkook rubs his eyes and then his nose.
Jungkook’s hair is a mess, his shirt is on backwards, and he’s only wearing one sock. As he opens the fridge, he sniffles a few times and then just stands there, staring ahead like he’s searching for the meaning of the universe within the contents inside.
After a full minute, Yoongi stands from the table and goes over to him. “Whatcha looking for?” He murmurs, reaching out to rub Jungkook’s back. “Milk is on the table.”
Jungkook turns to look, squinting over at the table, and then at Yoongi. “Oh. Thanks.” His voice is deep and raspy and he clears his throat a few times.
“C’mon, then,” Yoongi says softly, hooking his arm through Jungkook’s and guiding him across the kitchen. He pushes Jungkook into an empty chair and then grabs him a bowl from the cupboard.
“Thanks,” Jungkook says again, rubbing his eyes with a fist while Yoongi pours cereal for him.
“You’re welcome,” Yoongi replies. He presses a kiss to Jungkook’s temple and slides the bowl and the milk in front of him.
“You look so sleepy ,” Hoseok coos after Jungkook yawns halfway through pouring milk into his cereal. “I’ll let you wake up a little before I tell you the good news.”
Jungkook picks up his spoon and starts to eat, and Hoseok frowns slightly when he doesn’t take the bait. Jimin and Taehyung muffle their giggles behind their hands, amused by the exchange.
“Ahh. Does this good news have anything to do with–”
“Shh!” Hoseok glares at Seokjin. “I want to be the one to tell him!”
“Huh?” Jungkook hurriedly grabs a napkin from the holder in the middle of the table and pinches it around his nose, sneezing twice.
“Bless you, bless you.” Hoseok grins at him. “Okay. Guess what ?”
Jungkook blinks at him, looking dazed. “Huh?”
Hoseok is practically vibrating in his chair. He pauses for dramatic effect, and then leans forward, grabbing onto Jungkook’s arm. “The ice rink is open!”
Suddenly, Jungkook’s entire demeanor changes. “Really?!” He sits up straight, his eyes opening wide, and all of his earlier tiredness morphs into pure, unadulterated joy.
Hoseok nods, bouncing in his seat. “Yes. Do you want to go skating today?”
Jungkook looks around, making eye contact with each of them before he responds. “Only if everyone else wants to, too. We could go some other weekend, if that works better…” He trails off, his gaze dropping to his lap. “We could go next Saturday, maybe.”
As much as Jungkook hates winter, he loves to go ice skating. It’s the only cold-weather activity he’ll tolerate, and seeing how happy it makes him is worth it despite the fact that he’s the only one of them who can actually stay upright on the ice rink.
“Today is perfect,” Jimin says, flashing Jungkook a grin when he glances back up. “We can go after lunch. But everyone has to bundle up!”
Jungkook is, unsurprisingly, the first one to get ready to leave in the afternoon. Jimin gathers everyone by the front door to make sure they’re properly bundled up, buttoning up coats and handing out hats and gloves.
When he gets to Jungkook, he’s surprised he doesn’t have to tell him to put on more layers– Jungkook is already wearing his winter coat, along with a warm hat and a scarf and mittens.
“You look cozy,” he says, reaching up to lightly pinch Jungkook’s cheek between his fingers. “And cute .”
Jungkook’s face turns pink and he shuffles backwards as far as he can, rolling his eyes. “Hyung!”
“Okay, okay. Let’s go! Who’s driving?”
There’s a flurry of commotion as they make their way to the vehicles, fighting over seats and splitting themselves into two groups to ride in Hoseok’s jeep and Seokjin’s car. They don’t live far from the ice rink, but in the short drive there it starts to snow, tiny little flakes that fall on the windshield and melt immediately.
Jungkook is glaring at the sky when they arrive. He steps out of the car, wraps his arms around himself with a dramatic shiver, and then sneezes.
“Look,” Hoseok says, coming up behind Jungkook and wrapping him up in a hug. “I wore my sunshine sweater.”
Jungkook sniffles and turns his head to the side. “Can’t look if you’re behind me,” he mutters, wiggling out of Hoseok’s grasp, but he’s smiling when he turns and complies, looking at him.
Hoseok unzips his coat to reveal a bright yellow knit sweater underneath, with an orange sun right in the middle of his chest.
“Ta-da!” Hoseok grins. “Thoughts?”
“I think you should zip your coat back up,” Jungkook quips back, but he shuffles forward and wraps his arms around Hoseok’s waist, resting his head on his shoulder for a moment and mumbling something that sounds like “ my sunshine ”.
“Stop trying to burrow into my coat,” Hoseok chuckles, but he lets Jungkook keep one arm wrapped around his waist as they make their way over to get their skates on.
Once they’re on the ice, Jungkook takes off like a shot, skating two laps around the rink before Hoseok even figures out how to stay upright standing in place. He giggles when he comes to a stop in front of them, his eyes bright with excitement.
“Come on ,” he urges, spreading his arms out wide. “Come skate with me!”
It’s more of an invitation for Seokjin or Taehyung– the only two of them who are a little more confident in their skating abilities– but it’s Jimin who shuffles forward and takes Jungkook’s hand.
“Just don’t go too fast–” Jimin yelps as he’s cut off by Jungkook tugging him forward, and he closes his eyes and hangs on for dear life.
Eventually, Jungkook breaks off by himself again, zooming around the rink with a gleeful smile.
Seokjin and Yoongi stay on either side of Hoseok, looping their arms through his to help him along, and Taehyung tugs Jimin behind him in an attempt to go as fast as Jungkook that ends with them both toppling over. The six of them regroup after thirty minutes or so, discussing their options for hot coffee and hot chocolate at a nice slow pace while they wait for Jungkook to tire himself out.
Jungkook is skating towards them from across the rink when it happens. He’s grinning wide, cheeks rosy and expression full of joy, but a second later his face crumples and he brings a mitten-covered hand up to his face, his brows furrowing in irritation–
Jungkook sneezes, lurching forward. The sneeze throws him off balance, and he doesn’t have time to correct it. Faster than any of them have time to react, his feet slip out from underneath him, causing him to fall hard. He cries out when he hits the ice, his arm twisted awkwardly beneath him as he tries to catch his fall.
“Jungkook! Are you okay?” Taehyung calls out, speeding up as fast as he can to reach him.
When he gets there, Jungkook is still hunched over on the ice, cradling his arm to his chest. Taehyung drops to his knees beside him, his hands hovering over Jungkook’s body.
“What happened?”
“My arm,” Jungkook winces, tears stinging his eyes. “My arm hurts .”
“Okay.” Taehyung swallows thickly and looks around as the rest of the group reaches them. “He hurt his arm, I think.”
Yoongi crouches down and holds out his hand. “Can you stand?”
Jungkook looks unsure, but after a moment, he nods his head.
He stands with the help of Yoongi and Taehyung. He’s silent as they help him off the rink, leading him over to a bench where he can sit down, and they can assess the situation.
“Where does it hurt?” Seokjin asks him softly.
Sniffling, Jungkook makes a sad, whimpering sound. His nose is red, and he’s shivering now, hunched over from both the cold and his instinct to protect his injured arm. “My wrist.”
Jimin cards his fingers through his hair, needing to do something with his hands. “It’s okay, Jungkookie. It’s going to be okay. Are you cold?”
Jungkook nods slightly, sniffling again, and Yoongi disappears for a moment and returns with a bundle of toilet paper from the public restroom.
Jungkook awkwardly takes it with his good hand and wipes his nose, then sneezes three times into it.
He’s sniffling nonstop now, and Jimin leans forward, trying to get a better look at his face.
“Bless you! Why are you sneezing so much?”
“It’s just this stupid cold,” Jungkook mutters under his breath, and then freezes, eyes going wide.
“Cold?” Seokjin’s eyes narrow. “Did you just say cold ?”
“Don’t tell me that you’re sick,” Namjoon says slowly, listening to Jungkook sniffle again– the sound so obviously congested now.
Jungkook hunches forward even more, his head bowed like he can try to hide the fact that he’s sick if he can’t see anyone and they can’t see his face.
“Jungkook?”
Jungkook’s entire body is stiff with tension and pain, and he sniffles again– but this time, when he presses the now overly-used wad of tissues to his nose, Namjoon reaches out and taps two fingers under his chin until he looks up again. Namjoon’s angry-worried expression disappears when Jungkook reluctantly peeks up and they see he’s crying silently– big, fat tears rolling down his cheeks.
“He’s asleep.” Jimin is leaning half-inside the car, hands hovering over Jungkook’s seatbelt. He glances back over his shoulder. “I could let him sleep just a little longer–”
“It’ll be better to get him inside,” Yoongi replies softly.
It’s raining lightly now. Yoongi adjusts his hat, tugging it down further over his ears, and gently nudges Jimin to the side.
“Jungkookie,” he sings, reaching out to smooth Jungkook’s hair back from his forehead. His hair is sticking up funny on one side, and his cheeks are red, flushed from sleep or maybe from his illness.
Jungkook groans, his eyelashes fluttering.
Yoongi eyes the wrist brace on his right arm– his prize from the emergency room for a sprained wrist.
“Wake up, Kookie-baby,” he says, a little louder as he continues to run his fingers through Jungkook’s hair. “We’re home.”
Before Yoongi can stop him, Jungkook tries to bring his right hand to his face so he can rub his nose. He gets most of the way there before he whimpers loudly, his face scrunching up in pain. He’s apparently still waking up, because he tries again, pressing the back of the brace to the tip of his nose before jerking it back away with a hoarse cry.
The cause of Jungkook’s itchy nose soon makes itself apparent– his eyes snap open, and then they close again as he lets out a handful of congested sneezes.
“Oh, is he awake?” Hoseok asks from somewhere behind Yoongi. “Bless you, Jungkookie!”
Jungkook is squinting up at Yoongi through watery, red-rimmed eyes, his injured arm still hovering in front of his face.
Even though Yoongi is aware of the risk of getting sneezed on, he leans further into the car and gently guides Jungkook’s arm back down to his side. As he unbuckles Jungkook’s seatbelt for him, Jungkook tries to bring his right hand to his nose once more, growling in annoyance when he can’t, and sneezes three times.
“ Ugh , fuck.”
“Bless,” Yoongi murmurs softly. “Sorry, Kook. Hop out of the car for me, okay?”
Jungkook’s brain finally gets the message, and he quickly brings his left hand up to swipe roughly at his pink nose. Then, he lets Yoongi help him out of the car and into the house, looking like he’s in a daze as they walk up the driveway.
Once they’re inside, everyone springs into action. Yoongi helps Jungkook out of his shoes and coat, and then leads him into the living room, where Jimin is waiting with a blanket. He tucks Jungkook under the blanket, leaving his right arm out. Hoseok brings him a box of tissues and helps him pull a few out, watching closely as Jungkook blows his nose one-handed.
Namjoon brings an ice pack from the freezer and sits down on the coffee table facing Jungkook. He carefully unfastens the velcro straps of the brace so he can hold the ice pack, wrapped in a dish towel, against his wrist.
Jungkook looks sad and pouty throughout the whole ordeal, though he doesn’t say a single word. Taehyung sticks to his side, sitting next to him on the couch, kissing him on the cheek when he winces at the ice.
Seokjin is ready with water and a dose of cold medicine when Namjoon steps away.
“Take this, I’ve got some water to wash it down,” he instructs, his voice firm in a way that hardly hides his worry.
As soon as Jungkook finishes swallowing the medicine, his face scrunches up, and he ducks down to sneeze, trying to raise his right arm to his face until he remembers he can’t.
“Bless you.” Hoseok rubs his back. “Let me know if you need any more tissues.”
Finally, Jungkook clears his throat.
“Why are you all being nice to me and helping me?” He asks, looking around the room.
Jimin frowns. “What do you mean?”
“I lied,” Jungkook continues. “Well, I didn’t tell anyone I was sick. And then I got hurt because of it. And I ruined ice skating! And none of you are mad about it!”
“Oh, Jungkook,” Yoongi whispers, sitting down on his other side and wrapping his arm around his shoulders.
“We’re not mad at you for being sick,” Seokjin says. “And we’re not mad at you for getting injured. Where’d you get that idea?”
“Sure, we’re very worried,” Jimin adds. “And maybe a little frustrated that you didn’t even tell us you were sick. But, sometimes we make mistakes, and sometimes accidents happen. We’re just glad it’s only a sprain, Kookie.”
Namjoon sits back down on the coffee table and takes Jungkook’s chin in hand. “We’re not mad at you. Will you stop pouting now?”
Jungkook’s brow furrows. For a moment, it looks like he might cry, but then his expression turns into a grumpy, even more exaggerated pout.
“No! I’m sick. And I’m mad, because I’m never going ice skating again. So now what am I going to do all month?”
Chuckling, Seokjin adjusts the blanket around Jungkook’s shoulders. “You’re going to sit here on this couch and let us take care of you, that’s what you’re going to do.”
“And when your wrist is healed,” Hoseok adds, “We can do something safe. Like window shopping. Or taking a nice stroll in the park. Or staying inside and watching movies and never leaving this house again.”
The corners of Jungkook’s mouth twitch up.
“I don’t want to be sick,” he groans. “I didn’t even feel that bad earlier. Now I feel, like, ten times worse.”
“You poor thing,” Taehyung coos. “Do you want to take a nap?”
Shaking his head, Jungkook lets his head fall onto Taehyung’s shoulder. He sniffles and then yawns. “No. I’m not tired.”
“Right.” Seokjin rolls his eyes. “Let’s watch a movie, then.”
“Do I get to pick the movie?” Jungkook asks, yawning again.
Seokjin nods and leans forward to kiss the very tip of Jungkook’s red nose. “Of course, baby.”