Chasing Butterflies

Docks

"So where are we going?" Her question caused a smirk to work its way onto Jimin's face.

"It's a surprise," his smirk turned into a full blown smile as he turned to look at Izzy.

He couldn't deny that she was hiding something. The dark skin under her reddened eyes hadn't appeared there by accident. But Jimin didn't want to push his luck or push her away by asking about it. She would tell him in time. Hopefully.

Jimin snuck glances at Izzy as they walked. Her chocolate brown hair cascaded down her shoulders in loose waves. The clothes she wore, a loose sweater and light-wash jeans, suited her well. He also noticed how her steps faltered every once in a while and how her hands fidgeted nervously, itching at the crook of her elbow. He noticed her rum-colored eyes and how they remained trained on the ground. Most of all Jimin noticed how she was still wearing his jacket, and how it made him smile.

Izzy finally glanced up, seeing an old railway station coming into view. The station sign, heavily covered by spray paint, was one that she recognized. It's where she had slept that night Jimin left his jacket for her.

"What are we doing here?" Izzy's confused eyes gazed up at Jimin, a little crinkle forming between her eyebrows.

He glanced down at her for a moment, "We're meeting the guys here."

"But why here?" She inquired, speaking so softly that he had to strain his ears to hear her.

"The station is sort of a common meeting ground for us. If we don't feel like hanging out around our apartment, or if we're in the South side and need to chill somewhere, we come to this station. Nobody else goes here." Izzy didn't know why, but his last sentence sounded too ominous to be overlooked.

"Oh. Okay," she said nothing else. Izzy had a feeling that she didn't want to know what his last statement meant.

She fidgeted with her fingers, anxiously scratching at the leather covering her elbow. She needed another hit. And she needed it soon. The itching in her veins was building up and Izzy didn't know how much she could take.

Jimin led Izzy through the crumbling entrance of the railway. The spray painted walls were familiar to him and walking the dark tunnels had become second nature over the years.

Memories flashed through Jimin's brain. The dim tunnels echoed beneath his feet. He recalled how cold it was that night when he slept in the station for the first time. He remembered the darkness that cloaked him and the hunger that ate away at him. Only a few years ago Jimin had been alone. But one day he woke up on that station bench with some guy standing over him. Hoseok had found him in that railway. And suddenly Jimin wasn't alone anymore.

He shook his head, the old memories dissipating. Jimin kept walking, the light in the heart of the station growing brighter as they walked. The fire pit was alight, parts of fallen beams and stay papers withered in the flames.

"Hey guys," Jimin greeted the group of men that sat around the fire. He was met with a chorus of "Heys" and "Finallys".

"I brought a friend," Izzy, who had been hiding behind Jimin's broad back, was forced to step into their line of sight. They eyed her with curiosity; she didn't detect any malice in their eyes, only a mild apprehension.

After a few moments of scrutiny one of the guys clapped his hands together, snapping everyone's attention to him. "Well Jimin, looks like you found yourself one hell of a friend," he chuckled, the others joining in.

Jimins hard face cracked into a lopsided grin, "It's not like that, she really is a friend. You guys met her a couple days ago."

"Izzy?" Recognition shone in their eyes, any doubt they had showed faded away. Smiles lit up their faces. Why did they look so happy all of a sudden?

"Good to see you again," the one with the minty green hair spoke. "Especially because this one," he gestured at Jimin, "Hasn't shut up about you for two days now."

Izzys head snapped to Jimin, only to see him facing the ground, cheeks pink. Her own face flushed like a tomato. She tried to convince herself that it was because of the cold. The group of guys laughed, amused by their friends embarrassment.

"Okay, okay, quit tormenting them," the one with bleached hair spoke up. "Come on guys, put out the fire and let's go." He stood from his seat, walking towards Izzy and Jimin. His hand reached out, "Hi, I'm Namjoon."

Hesitantly, Izzy's thin fingers clasped around his much larger hand, "I'm Izzy." Namjoon smiled widely and dropped her hand.

"Yeah, we know who you are. These are the guys," he pointed to the group of boys who were now putting out the fire. "That's Taehyung, Jin, Hoseok, Yoongi, Jungkook, and you already know Jimin," he pointed each one of them out to her. They all waved in turn, smiling at her as they made their way forward. The fire was out now and the group began to walk past Izzy, heading to the exit.

A sudden touch on her elbow made Izzy jump. "Come on," Jimin turned her around and they followed the group of men leading the way out.

Izzy couldn't really tell how long they walked, or where they were going, or why she didn't question it. All she noticed was how happy they all looked. The guys messed with each other and shouted and ran around like kids. They looked really happy. It wasn't something Izzy was familiar with.

The guys laughed as Taehyung took a running start and leapt onto Jungkook's back, making him stumble a bit. Laughs rang through the quiet city street as they walked with seemingly no aim.

"You guys go on to the docks, we'll grab some food and meet you there," Jin yelled as he and Jungkook headed off down a different street. Izzy stopped to watch their retreating backs.

"Hey," a muffled voice echoed somewhere in the distance. "Hey Izzy," she vaguely noticed her name being called. "Izzy!" She jerked out of her trance, looking up at the person who had a hand on her shoulder.

Brown eyes somewhat covered by green-streaked hair looked down at her with concern. "Are you okay Izzy?" Taehyung asked softly.

Izzy drew in a deep breath and released it with a swoosh. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. I guess I just zoned out. Sorry."

"Don't apologize," Taehyung shot her a cute smile. He threw his arm around Izzy's shoulders and pulled her down the street as they walked to catch up to the other guys. "Come on, let's go make Jimin jealous," he chuckled.

"What?" Izzy looked up at him with a puzzled expression.

Taehyung just laughed. "Nothing," he avoided answering her inquiry. "Look," he pointed into the distance with his spare arm. "Do you see that?"

Izzy squinted as if it would help her to see better, her face scrunching up. Something shimmered beneath the sunlight. It was moving.

"Water?" Izzy gave Taehyung a curious glance. He just smiled again, looking forward. His smile was contagious and Izzy found herself smiling as well.

"You ever gone down to the docks?" She shook her head in answer.

"Well," he began, "It's smelly and kind of dirty," he shot a glance down at her. "It's awesome." Izzy laughed at the goofy smile that he tried to keep off his face, and Taehyung joined in.

Their laughter rang across the street as they walked through the desolate docks. Taehyung had been right; it was smelly and dirty. But the view was good. And the company was better. Izzy couldn't figure out why, but she was comfortable around these boys. She hardly knew them and yet they welcomed her with open arms. In that moment Izzy didn't care that Cassie and Jae had sent her out to get something for them. Because in that moment Izzy was happy. And for the first time in days she was sober.