Not so friendly daycare

❀Chapter 3❀

The two men managed to reach the mall around 40 minutes later, finding Jimin sitting at a table, wearing sunglasses and a hat to hide his identity. On the table were two yellow files, lying out beside two packs of bleach and hair dye. Yoongi and Jungkook cautiously approached the table, looking around for any bystanders that might witness the scene. They were relieved to find the area near the bar was empty of any humans besides them.

Yoongi took a seat and Jungkook followed, sending Yoongi a glance in which to say he still didn't trust the man. Jimin looked between the two with his plump lips pressed together in a frown. He looked nothing short of unimpressed with them; as if he doubted that they were innocent of the crime they were convicted of.

Yoongi cleared his throat, reaching his hand out towards the files awkwardly. "Are these the new identities?" He asked Jimin, who nodded silently in response. Yoongi eyed his friend weirdly before guardedly taking the file and pulling it up to his face to read. Inside were several items of which he could use for identification: a license, a birth certificate, a passport and a credit card. Yoongi pulled out the credit card to read the name on it.

"Kim Yoongi?" He asked Jimin as he looked up at the man. Jimin nodded, quickly glancing about the bar entry to check for people. He slipped Jungkook the other file. "You and Jungkook are brothers – Kim Yoongi and Kim Jungkook." He explained, "The credit cards have an account balance of 1000 USD. You live in a rental in California – the address is in the note in your file." He looked down at his gold watch. "There will be a plane to take you there within an hour."

"California?!" Yoongi objected, "I can't go to California! I don't even know anybody there!" Jimin nodded. "That's a good thing." He reasoned, "The further away you are from here, the better. The less people you know, the better. What you need to do is just lay low for a while. Find an average job." Yoongi saw a glimpse of sadness in his tone as he spoke. "Your father won't expect you to be so far away, as he thinks you're far too unintelligent to do such a thing."

With those last words, Jimin rose from his chair. Yoongi looked up at him. "What are you going to do?" he asked, and the man shrugged, looking rather solemn. "I don't know. I might disappear for a while. Once your father figures out you aren't here, he'll know I was the one who helped you out." He moved out of his chair and pushed it underneath the table neatly. He didn't speak as he looked between the two, rather he sighed gravely, as if he was sad they were going. To Yoongi, it looked as if he was hesitant to leave.

"You know we didn't do it, right, Chim?" He asked the man who nodded, a small and sudden smile playing on his lips. "I know you didn't do it. You're intellect is far too low to know the worth of the crest." Yoongi's facial expression dropped at his words.

"My intellect is far too...? What?!" He choked, highly offended by his friend's words. Jimin only gave a small smile – one filled with a sense of nostalgia and sadness, before he silently slipped away from the table with his head to the ground, leaving them alone. All Yoongi could do was watch him go. There were no goodbyes said between the two as they both knew they had always found them daunting to say. In childhood, Jimin had told Yoongi that if they were to say goodbye, then it meant that they were never going to see each other again. However, even though they hadn't said goodbye this time, Yoongi had the feeling this would be the last time he'd get to see him.

"So what do we do now?" Jungkook asked as he looked at Yoongi, confused at the weird morbid air that had come about when Jimin left.

Yoongi sighed, turning to Jungkook with a faraway look in his eyes.

"We're going to the airport."

.

.

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"I can't believe dad thought it was me." Yoongi murmured, whilst biting his lower lip. Both the men had now boarded the plane, feeling unsure and scared about the unfamiliarity of going to another town far away from their own. Yoongi had never ever been out of Chicago. He barely left his own home, most times, preferring solitude and peace to being around other people. Jungkook was the same, he guessed. Jungkook had grown up in the same mansion – as his father was Yoongi's uncle, and the boy, being an only child, was often coddled by his parents. Hence, the childish behaviour... despite the fact he was an adult.

While Jungkook was pampered by his parents, Yoongi was mostly neglected by his. His plastic faced mother had left when he was very young and he had not spoken to her since. The only time his father wanted to see him was when he had something for the younger to do. Yoongi never got along much with his siblings, either. He had several siblings he shared his father with – many of whom he did not know – and an elder sister, Eunji, who was too much like his mother. The two clashed a lot; however, Jungkook had managed to grow close to her and often went to see her and her kids (that he was frightened to death of). This probably explained why Eunji had messaged Jungkook about the whole fiasco instead of her own brother.

"Yoongi, can you feel the plane jump over the air pockets?!" Jungkook interrupted Yoongi's train of thought as he excitedly bubbled away in his seat beside him. The businessman beside Yoongi gave the two of them a disgusted look before scribbling something away on a sheet, causing Yoongi to feel embarrassed by his childish cousin. The business man wasn't the only one staring weirdly at the two men.

"Jungkook," Yoongi gritted as he turned to the younger man, "You're fucking 23 years old. Stop acting like a child, people are watching."

Jungkook pouted as he looked around the plane, noticing several people turned in their seats to watch him. His cheeks flushed red as he lowered his head, sheepishly. 'I'm sorry, hyung." He apologised quietly as he stared at the grey carpet on the airplane floor.

Yoongi shook his head with a huff at the boy reaching to the seat in front of him to grab a magazine. He didn't say anything to the boy as he understood that Jungkook had always been a childish, bubbly person. Jungkook, since the day he was able to walk, had followed his elder cousin (who was five at the time,) everywhere. As Jungkook seemed to gravitate towards Yoongi more than any other family member, Yoongi was charged with the boy's protection. Although Yoongi hated it, he guessed he sort of liked it too. Jungkook was the only one who cared about him. He was the only one Yoongi meant anything to.

Biting his lip, Yoongi looked out the window again. Neither of the men spoke for the rest of the flight.