"Hyung, can we call them again before we sleep?" Jungkook asked.  

     "Sure, why not!" Hoseok replied, taking his phone to call Taehyung on video while Jungkook, happy, moved to his bed to sit next to him.

     This was the third call that Jungkook made him make that day, but Hoseok was not surprised because throughout the week he had been making the same request.

     The maknae didn't especially want to hear Taehyung give him details about Jin's progress because they were so weak that it discouraged him, but he just wanted to see it. Seeing him without being seen by him, he had come to terms with that and Hoseok knew how happy he was to just be able to see Jin.

     A few days ago, Jungkook had asked Han to bring Jin his big plush RJ while thinking that a familiar object like this, with which he was still sleeping, could be used to reassure him in his moments of stress. 

     According to Taehyung and Namjoon, it had worked pretty well for the time being. Jin used to squeeze RJ with all his strength and bury his head in it when he couldn't stand to see the world around him. 

     When Jungkook was on a video call he couldn't help but think he was cute like that and had to remember then that the eldest was sick and that there was nothing cute about it.

      When Taehyung picked up that night, the maknae found Jin, lying in front of the TV whose sound had been so low that one could hear only a whisper escaping from it. His bandage had been replaced by a large wound dressing and his left arm was always supported by a splint that prevented him from using it. But from his right arm, he gently cuddled RJ, mechanically caressing the soft fabric with his fingertips. It was a soothing scene to watch for Jungkook just before going to sleep.

      "Hey," Taehyung said in a voice so low and tired that it was more like a whisper.

     "Hey," Hoseok responded, smiling looking at Jin.. 

     "Ask him what he's watching," Jungkook whispered, curious to know what could capture Jin's attention, to Hoseok who relayed the question aloud.

     "Hum... Peppa pig?" Taehyung replied, embarrassed.

     Jungkook chuckled quietly.

      "Huh?" Hoseok laughed, "why? Wasn't there a good movie or a good Japanese anime on TV?"

      "A film or anime could have been too violent and frightened him," Taehyung replied, defending his choice with determination. "And then, with a cartoon for toddlers, he can get used to both sharp voices and bright colors without being unnecessarily frightened, so that's perfect."

     "Does that mean that you also watched?" the dancer laughed while Jungkook also suppressed a burst of laughter.

     "We watched together and know that it is very funny to watch when you don't understand what the characters are saying, I laughed a lot," Taehyung pouting falsely. "Besides, did you know that pigs don't make the same noise in French and Korean? I thought it was too much fun to hear."

     "Oooh," Hoseok said, "and how does a French pig sound?"

      "I won't imitate you a French pig, it's a discovery that Jin hyung and I are the only ones to share," Taehyung said proudly. "If you want to know what it looks like, you will have to experience it yourself. But let me warn you: it's torture after  five minutes."

     While Hoseok laughed, Jungkook kept silent this time. 

     He was jealous of the proximity that had developed between Jin and Taehyung over the course of the week. He would have liked to be the one to take care of Jin, teach him how to live without fear and lie down with him to watch TV. But instead, he got stuck in another hospital miles away and couldn't even speak loud enough for Jin to hear his voice. 

     And to top it all off, he felt like Taehyung had gradually taken his place in Jin's heart, even though Jin seemed oblivious to the intractions Taehyung had with him most of the time. He couldn't do anything to prevent it right now, but he promised himself to restore order to things as soon as they were all together again the next day.

      "Did Jin hyung laugh too?" He whispered to Hoseok, who transmitted the question even though he suspected the answer.

     "No," Taehyung replied sadly, "and it's not for lack of trying to make him laugh. But  that doesn't mean it's not encouraging because I found that he was concentrating more and more on what was being said and seen. He's getting more and more out of his torpor, I might say."

     When Hoseok saw a meal tray with a plate still full on the moving table next to him, he asked:

    "Did he eat something tonight?"

    Jin had always liked to eat but since his admission to the hospital, he had mostly allowed himself to be nourished and hydrated by transfusion and had very little to eat orally. He had swallowed only two bites of his birthday cake a few days ago and there was no indication that he had liked it since he had not wanted to swallow more than that. 

      Jin was already thin before he was hospitalized, but it was even more visible. He was wearing a jacket over his hospital shirt, but the open collar showed a bit of his prominent collarbones. It wasn't a pleasant vision for them and it certainly wouldn't please his mother either when she saw her son so thin.

     Jungkook remembered the copious meals they had the day before the concert, while they were exploring the city. It was probably the last time Jin ate properly and with appetite because the next day was intense with the preparation and the concert, and none had had time to eat properly. Also, everyone watched over the evolution of his diet, and the almost full plate that evening on the table did not give the impression of a net improvement.

     "Yeah, he ate a little, but he ate more at noon, he liked the steak," Taehyung replied, adding with an uncertain tone, "Jungkook, do you... do you want to try to talk to him?"

     Surprised by Taehyung's proposition, the maknae exchanged a look with Hoseok.

     "Now? Can I really do that?" he said softly despite his excitation. 

     Taehyung had done everything to stop him before so he was surprised. But he didn't know Taehyung was starting to despair at not seeing any real improvement in Jin's attitude and he ended up thinking that maybe it was necessary for Jungkook to start talking to him again for a real evolution to happen. Whether he likes it or not.

    "I think there is no better time to try again, let's not forget that you will see each other tomorrow to go back to Korea, he has to start getting used to. And then, the RJ you sent him is really helping him learn to control himself when he's stressed and he made some nice progress, so we can try. If it doesn't work tonight, it doesn't matter, I'll just have a very bad night but I'll catch up on the plane."

     He said that in a light tone, but he was obviously nervous about Jin's reaction because he could be really unpredictable when he was really scared. If he stressed too much he could either not be able to fall asleep because he was too agitated, or have terrible nightmares and start screaming and hurting himself, also waking Taehyung and forcing him to get up to take care of him like a parent would with their newborn.

      Taehyung knew if  something serious to happen that evening, it might prolong their stay in the hospital and delay their departure. Or maybe the company would choose to bring in Yoongi, Jimin, Jungkook and Hoseok first and leave Namjoon, Jin and him there, until they can travel, a separation which nobody wanted. They didn't want to be separated again, by thousands of kilometres this time. They wanted to be reunited at last.

     "Just remember to be as gentle as possible in the way you talk and it should be okay," Taehyung said, deciding to trust Jungkook this time.

    "Okay," Jungkook said apprehensively as Hoseok put an encouraging hand on his shoulder.

     Taehyung took the remote and turned off the TV, pushing Jin to divert his attention from the TV. He did not seem to be surprised or upset by this and just focused instead on the caresses he gave to RJ. 

     Before his gaze plunged back into the peaceful universe he had created to escape reality, Taehyung gently stroked his hand to keep his attention and said:

     "Hyung, Jungkook wants to talk to you, you haven't seen each other in a while. Can you look over here?"

     Jin mechanically turned his head towards Taehyung because his voice was his main landmark, the TV no longer emitting sounds. Then he lowered his head to the screen of the phone that Taehyung was reaching for him. 

     When Jin saw Jungkook, Taehyung saw his fingers stop caressing the stuffed animal and plunge into it with stiffness as his gaze tried to flee from the image of Jungkook on the screen.

     "Hey, hyung," Jungkook said timidly, preparing for a terrified and terrifying reaction like the first times and anxiously waited.

     Hearing the voice of the maknae, Jin did not shout and did not give the impression of going mad. However, a feeling of panic seemed to rise slowly, a feeling he tried to repress by squeezing RJ harder than ever and burying his face in it. Beside, Taehyung, tense, was ready to step in in case things went wrong.

    Jungkook, with the heavy heart to be responsible for this reaction, abruptly returned the phone to Hoseok and removed his face from the camera's field of vision, but Taehyung's voice prevented him from returning to his own bed.

     "No Jungkook, come back, keep talking to him, you're almost there. Hyung need to get used to your voice and at least try to make a real eye contact for a few seconds."

     "What if I make things worse?" Jungkook feared.

     "You can do it JK," Hoseok encouraged him by giving him the phone back.

     Jungkook looked at Jin's trembling body, curled up and wrapped the big white plush he sometimes had called his son. He didn't want to let that plush or Taehyung give him all the hugs he needed to get better. He also wanted to reassure him. He also wanted to be able to hug him again.

     "Jin hyung?" he called.

     Hearing his voice, Jin continued to tremble but his nails temporarily stopped plowing RJ's belly, suddenly attentive.

     "Jin hyung, please, look at me," Jungkook asked gently. As the oldest did not react, he repeated, still as gently, but with a little more firmness which made Taehyung wince a bit: "Look at me, hyung."

     Then, slowly, as if by an expected miracle, Jin raised his face, letting only his eyes appear, the rest of his face was still buried in that of the plush and he looked at Jungkook. Not an empty look or a dead look. He looked at him with perplexity, as if trying to find out why he should be afraid of that precise person who, at that moment, looked at him only with tenderness.

    Their exchange of gaze lasted for a long minute, before, the first, Jin broke the eye contact and again hid his face in his stuffed toy which he began to handle frantically while turning to the side of the wall to no longer have to see Jungkook and probably to return to his own world, without worry, without hard and painful questioning.

     The maknae, who refused to do so in front of Jin, then let his tears flow.

    "Don't cry Jungkook," Hoseok said kindly, wiping his tears, "you did very well."

     "I would say that this is a big step forward," Taehyung said relieved. 

     Jungkook continued to cry and sniff:

     "I'm crying because I'm just happy, that's all. But now I want to hug him and I can't."

     "You'll get the chance tomorrow," Hoseok promised him while Taehyung was unconvinced that he wanted to let Jungkook do that given what he knew.

     "We'll see tomorrow how it goes," Taehyung said before turning back to Jin who hadn't taken his head out of his stuffed animal and seemed to have fallen asleep sitting up, "now I think he just wants to sleep."

     "We're going to sleep too, we are leaving the hospital early tomorrow, I think we're a little further from the airport than you are," Hoseok said.

     "All right, see you tomorrow then," Taehyung greeted them, not without a hint of excitement to be already the next day.