With You [minjoon]

three

Light sobs sounding from the other side of the thin walls awoke Namjoon from his light slumber.

It was coming from inside Jimin's apartment. As good as Namjoon knew, Jimin lived alone – why was he crying in the middle of the night?

Annoyed, he would've been if he were unfamiliar with the man next door.

But he so happened to know that he was hurting inside – completely fallen apart. Namjoon had a feeling Jimin was merely a shadow of what he actually was.

He couldn't just stay put and listen to the man crying. He wanted to be able to console him – if he would let him.

He slipped on a pair of crocs, dragging his body outside. The air was cold, making the tiny hairs on his arms stand.

He rang his neighbor's doorbell, shivering while he waited. Air blew in his face.

The sight he was presented with when the door opened made his heart drop. The man had obviously splashed water on his face and tried wiping away the tear stains, but it was still so obvious. His body shook slightly.

Jimin looked up at him, holding weak eye contact. He was holding back tears. "Are you okay? Do you need someone to talk to?"

He collapsed onto the ground. The hard ground. Violent sobs shook his entire body.

"Jimin!"

He kneeled before him, pulling his body into an embrace. The man sobbed, sobbed until his shirt was stained with tears.

"They're all gone," he muttered under his breath.

"It'll be okay, Jimin. I'm here for you," he gently caressed his back. Jimin grasped onto his arm, clenching it tight.

"They're gone," he cried hectically.

Namjoon hugged him tighter, staying in his position, no matter how sore his knees were from sitting on the hard ground.

The man hyperventilated, to the point he feared he was going to pass out. "Breathe, Jimin, breathe." And so, he breathed.

"I'm sorry if I woke you," Jimin sniffled, shifting away from the hug. His voice was breaking, sounding as fragile as glass.

"It's alright," Namjoon smiled, giving his shoulder a tender squeeze. "You should get some rest," he studied the man's tired frame.

"As should you."

Namjoon nodded, "Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

_

A fresh blow of air to the face was just what Namjoon needed to get rid of the bags under his eyes. The sun peeked from above the horizon, shining gold on the city before him.

It was a beautiful sight – though, a beautiful sight that didn't beat the small man standing by the railing, peering at the ground meters below him.

Namjoon smiled – Jimin seemed to be doing better than last night.

The man stood like an ethereal being, though dressed in skinny jeans and a cardigan over a white shirt. Yet so much sadness radiated off him. Even something so beautiful could be broken. Like a withered rose.

"What are you doing out so early?" The man flinched at his question, spinning his body around to face him. His eyes were red from crying.

"I'm just taking a moment to think." he said. With a nod in response, he was off for his morning saunter.

"Wait - uh," Jimin called out in a stutter, "Thank you for caring."

Namjoon softened his gaze, "It's no problem. We all need someone." Even in such a rough state, the man glowed like never before. Namjoon's stomach swarmed with butterflies.

He smiled, subtly. He faced his back to Jimin, but he couldn't walk away. His feet stayed frozen to the ground.

"Do you want to go out for dinner with me?" he asked. Maybe it would cheer him up.

"I'd love to."

_

A warm atmosphere and candlelight were just what Jimin needed, he thought to himself. Looking at the man sitting across from him, he could feel that his mood was uplifted, contrary to earlier.

Jimin was like a shattered mug. You couldn't fix a broken cup, but you could hold the broken pieces together.

"It's been so long since I ate out," Jimin said, playing with the sleeve of his cardigan. "We should do it more often," he replied, "I know a lot of great places." The other smiled, "I'd love to, Namjoon."

"Shall we order?" Upon nodding, Namjoon waved over a waiter, ready to serve them both.

He got something easy to get down. A soup. Jimin got something more substantial. Grilled salmon.

"How come you haven't been eating out?" he asked, hoping to spark up a conversation.

A gloomy look spread across the man's gaze, "I haven't been very hungry since my fiancé died."

Surprised, Namjoon's eyes stretched open. It hadn't been a break-up. His heart broke. No wonder Jimin looked so downcast.

Carefully, he opened his mouth to say, "What happened?"

"He got hit by a car... he suffered too many internal injuries." He inhaled sharply. "Oh... I'm so sorry to hear that." Namjoon meant it. It was tough losing a loved one. He couldn't help but feel guilty that his family were going to go through that. Three months from now and his time on earth was over.

"Everyone around me dies," Jimin said, "Everyone I love."

He laid his palm on Jimin's hand, "Perhaps, things will take a turn for the better soon," he said, "Now you have a new friend, so you won't be alone."

A smile tugged at the corner of the small man's lips.

Their food came. Neither of them seemed interested in eating. Namjoon knew he needed to, needed to if he didn't want to get more ill.

They both eventually made their way through their dishes over small talk. It was distracting, allowing Namjoon to forget about the nausea lingering in his stomach.

Something he noticed was Jimin sweeping his hair out of his face. Like it was in the way. It probably was, seeing how long it was.

"If your hair's so annoying, don't you think it's due for a haircut?" Jimin lifted his gaze from his food, "Well," he said, "I've been planning on getting it cut, but I just haven't had the energy to get it done."

"Honestly, I think you'd look great with short hair. It would make your facial features show," Jimin got flustered, facing away from him, "Well, maybe I should get it done soon, then."

"You know," Jimin started after a moment of silently eating, "It's nice to have someone to hang out with. Thank you, Namjoon. I've really been feeling alone for a while."

"Well, I'm always free to hang out." he smiled. 

_

I hope you're enjoying the story so far :)