Rare

17th part

When Hoseok had woken up that morning, he had been mildly shocked to hear the news of Jimin's newfound job.

"Wow, Jimin, that's great!" He had said, smiling at the younger omega brightly. Jimin smiled back, happier than he had seen him in forever. Maybe happier than he had ever seen him. A sting went through his heart at that thought.

As his hyung, as his brother, Hoseok didn't want that happiness to end. No matter what threat would try to pry it away from their hands, he vowed to protect the smile on his dongsaengs' lips. Even if a thousand bricks were trying to crush them all to dust. Even if they were left as depicted pieces of hope. So what? It wouldn't matter, because he would be doing it for them. Hoseok knew how to fix it. They knew these scenarios by heart, that's why it had been a long time since they had dared hope, dared smile the way Jimin was doing today.

He still couldn't believe that they had escaped. This scenario, they had escaped it, they had run, they had fought, they had died, they had lived. They couldn't turn to look back at the empty shells of themselves that had been left behind, couldn't keep dwelling on a life that had passed. The Jimin before him now had been reborn, dared to smile, hope and live again and it was for that reason they had escaped.

Jimin was braver than what he was, he had dared to do what he yet hadn't, move on. It wasn't fair for him to ruin this new life for the younger due to the worries of their old one. As his hyung, there was no way he would let himself be the source of the sun in front of him fading. So instead of stating his worries, he did what every good hyung would do in that situation, and cheered the younger man on.

Even if he tried his best to be a good hyung on the outside, he still couldn't help the darkness lurking deep inside him. One which was not all that happy about Jimin's achievement. It was terrible, he knew he shouldn't be thinking about all the possible negatives in such a positive advancement. He shouldn't feel this way, he shouldn't let the all too familiar darkness overtake the happiness. Jimin had gotten a job and he was incredibly proud of him. Somehow, though, no matter how much he tried to convince himself, the darkness always seemed to find a way into their lives, as of now, it seemed to come crashing down on him as a heavy block of worry. Jimin was going to work in a public space, there was no knowing who would see him. They didn't know if they were wanted, or if there were people searching for them still, but recalling the night when they had escaped the school, it would be very likely that at least some guards were on the lookout. For all they knew, the higher ups might have even involved the police or the military.

An all too familiar tightness had spread in his stomach as the younger had happily announced the news. He hoped Jimin would be okay. He hoped Namjoon would be okay soon too and he hoped that Yoongi was okay wherever he was. He wanted his family to be okay again. The fact that they were not, hurt more than anything else the world could throw at him.

"Hyung?" Namjoon spoke up from beside him, forcing his consciousness back to the present. The younger omega was awake again, Hoseok couldn't help his smile at the thought. The three of them were together, safe. He would be forever grateful for that.

"Hey, Joon-ah." He said with a smile, one he knew very well didn't quite reach his eyes. Luckily it seemed like Namjoon was too out of it to notice his hyung's forced action. Either that or he chose not to mention it. The oldest omega currently found himself, once again, seated next to the bed where Namjoon was laying. The doctor hadn't seemed particularly pleased at his healing process, but she hadn't said anything more after their last meeting.

"What time is it?" The younger asked, voice rough from sleep. Namjoon tried sitting up against the headboard of the bed using his good hand, and Hoseok quickly leaned over to help him. The other smiled apologetically at him. Sorry about being such a burden.