"Is it all right if we ride with the ambulance? Jiho can stay on my lap." Yoongi was relieved when the paramedics nodded and he kept his arms around Jiho so they could watch how Tae was transferred onto the stretcher. "You see how they do it? Really carefully, so nothing can happen."
He really, really hoped that Tae would be all right. Damn, he wished he knew more about this. While they got Tae ready for transport, Yoongi felt he had to give Jiho something to do, so he gestured. "Get the music book we are working with from the corner, yeah? We can study a little while we wait at the hospital."
Jiho ran up and got the book, holding it tight in his hands and following Tae with a determination. It wasn't unsure he sat down on Yoongi's lap in the ambulance that he winced and jerked forward a little. His back hurt a lot but he didn't care about his own pain, now when Tae looked like that. He just kept some distance between himself and Yoongi, holding the work book.
"What shall we study, hyung-nim? TaeTae likes Mozart."
"Then we can study Mozart, yeah? There is an entire chapter on him." It was a good workbook, made for students Jiho's age, so there weren't just the songs themselves, but also stories to explain them better and some exercises and even things to colour. Hopefully enough to keep Jiho engaged, because Tae might need a lot of help.
However, it seemed like it wasn't just Tae. "Are you injured too, Jiho? What happened? You have to tell hyung, all right?"
"I'm okay." Jiho said as he opened the book on the page for Mozart and tried to read, tried not to focus on what they were doing to Tae. They gave him a shot? Oh no. Tae hated shots. Jiho looked down at the book and frowned at the words, he was too stressed and freaked out, the words all moved and blurred.
"I lied. It was my fault. I had to protect Tae. It doesn't hurt." Not unless he sat down. Or lay down. Or existed. "Hyung, I can't read the page."
Yoongi nodded his head, stroking Jiho's hair. "Okay. That's okay, Jiho. Do you want me to read to you? Or do you want to tell me about the lie you told? Did you tell it to your father and he caught you?"
He did not blame Jiho. At all. "The thing is, no matter what happens, it's never okay for an adult to hurt a little child like Tae. Or like you, you know? Never."
"I went to Jin's house because TaeTae wanted to play with Jimin-ah and I wanted to see Jin more. His parents are nice. His eomma hugged me." It was the best he'd ever felt. He looked down at his shoes. "We're supposed to come straight home but I lied and said we were at school. And then my teacher called Kangwoo and when he came, he knew we weren't there. He caught us."
He was so careful, he never assumed that Kangwoo would be called in. Where did he go wrong? "He hurt Tae and he wanted to hurt Tae more so I protected him. I lay on him. Then he could only hit me."
"You were really brave to protect him like that, Jiho. Did your back get hurt? We will let the doctors look at it and then it will feel better quickly." He had to call child services, didn't he? And maybe the police. Or would child services call the police? Damn, he really didn't know enough about this. "Listen, Jiho. I promise you, you and Tae will not be separated. You will be together. Even if I have to take you in myself, I will make sure of it."
Wait. Had he just said that? "I promise. Hyung promises. Okay? So you need to be really brave and honest and that will make sure that your appa can't ever hurt Tae or you again."
"I can't be without Tae. If you take him away, I have nothing." Jiho mumbled as he felt the ambulance stop. They lifted Tae off the ambulance and pushed him away so fast that Jiho had only just stepped foot on the floor outside and his brother was gone. He looked like he was going to have a melt down. Of course they had to rush, Tae wasn't breathing properly but Jiho didn't understand.
"... Where-- he's-- no." Tae was gone. He gulped and reached out, latching onto Yoongi. "He's gone." Was that good or bad? "Hyung, I don't feel good." The shock was really hitting him now, he felt like he could faint.
Yoongi went down on one knee so he could hug Jiho properly, playing with his hair gently. What a sweet boy. No wonder he was having a crisis. He reached into his pocket and got his earbuds out, inserting one into Jiho's ear and turning on music. Music always helped him with calming down, he was hoping it could do the same to Jiho.
"They are just getting him to a room with a doctor so he can be helped quickly. We will go in and find out where he is and wait until we can visit, yeah? Then we'll be there when he needs you."
Jiho leaned against Yoongi, wrapped his arms around him and buried his head into Yoongi's shoulder. He didn't want to any more. Nothing was good and he didn't have Tae, he let him down and he was a bad hyung. He just wanted to stay in Yoongi's arms, listen to music and turn his brain off. And that's what he did.
He was pliant and passive, easily moved around, contently clinging to his hyung. It was nice, in some ways, to not have to be the hyung any more. "Don't leave me."
"I'll not leave you. Never again." Yoongi wasn't even sure what he was promising here, but he just had to say it. He carried Jiho into the building and they ended up in the right waiting area, with him sitting down with Jiho on his lap. He put the second earbud into his ear too and then just let him rest on top of him, not surprising at how quiet he got. Between shock and everything else, he had to be exhausted.
"You can sleep, Jiho, hyung will wake you if Tae needs you."
He had to figure out what to do next. But that was on him, not Jiho.
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no subject
He really, really hoped that Tae would be all right. Damn, he wished he knew more about this. While they got Tae ready for transport, Yoongi felt he had to give Jiho something to do, so he gestured. "Get the music book we are working with from the corner, yeah? We can study a little while we wait at the hospital."
no subject
"What shall we study, hyung-nim? TaeTae likes Mozart."
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However, it seemed like it wasn't just Tae. "Are you injured too, Jiho? What happened? You have to tell hyung, all right?"
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"I lied. It was my fault. I had to protect Tae. It doesn't hurt." Not unless he sat down. Or lay down. Or existed. "Hyung, I can't read the page."
no subject
He did not blame Jiho. At all. "The thing is, no matter what happens, it's never okay for an adult to hurt a little child like Tae. Or like you, you know? Never."
no subject
He was so careful, he never assumed that Kangwoo would be called in. Where did he go wrong? "He hurt Tae and he wanted to hurt Tae more so I protected him. I lay on him. Then he could only hit me."
no subject
Wait. Had he just said that? "I promise. Hyung promises. Okay? So you need to be really brave and honest and that will make sure that your appa can't ever hurt Tae or you again."
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"... Where-- he's-- no." Tae was gone. He gulped and reached out, latching onto Yoongi. "He's gone." Was that good or bad? "Hyung, I don't feel good." The shock was really hitting him now, he felt like he could faint.
no subject
"They are just getting him to a room with a doctor so he can be helped quickly. We will go in and find out where he is and wait until we can visit, yeah? Then we'll be there when he needs you."
no subject
He was pliant and passive, easily moved around, contently clinging to his hyung. It was nice, in some ways, to not have to be the hyung any more. "Don't leave me."
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"You can sleep, Jiho, hyung will wake you if Tae needs you."
He had to figure out what to do next. But that was on him, not Jiho.