Chasing Butterflies

Something More

They walked silently down the steps of Dongdae Central Hotel, only the sound of Izzy's heels clicking on the marble could be heard. None of them knew what to say, they were wrapped up in their thoughts. The anger coursing through Izzy's veins began to fade as the group walked slowly down the sidewalk, and it felt like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She was free. Izzy had upheld the bargain: she went to the meeting and she listened, never did she say that she would agree to anything they proposed. And now all she could do was hope that her parents upheld their end of the deal: leaving her alone for good.

A cold drop on her bare arm startled Izzy out of her thoughts. The drop of frigid water rolled down her arm, off her fingers, and dripped into a crack in the sidewalk. Izzy craned her head up to the sky. Tiny white flakes drifted gently from the clouds, landing softly on her skin and melting before rolling off. Izzy didn't mind the coldness of the air, she'd always loved the snow.

"Here," Namjoon placed his leather jacket over her shoulders, keeping his hoodie on.
Izzy smiled up at him, she hadn't noticed that she was shivering, "Thank you, Joon." A floor length, backless dress wasn't the best wardrobe choice this time of year.

Jimin watched the interaction, not letting go of Izzy's hand. He didn't mind that the other guys were taking care of her, she was their friend and they had all promised to keep her safe. Walking slowly through the city, Izzy's hand intertwined with his and his best friends—his family—surrounding him, Jimin's jealousy melted away like the snow. He knew that he'd been a jerk these past few days with the way he had ignored both Izzy and the guys. He shouldn't care if Jungkook and Izzy were getting closer, it should be a good thing. He glanced down at the girl who held tightly onto his hand as she walked pressed into his side. Jimin couldn't ignore it anymore, he couldn't just push aside what he felt. This girl who had a past, who struggled with addiction, who knew, just like him, what it was like to be without a home. He liked this girl, as a lot more than just a friend, and he wanted her to be happy no matter what it took. And if Jungkook is what would make her happy then Jimin would step aside. He'd rather be just a friend to her than not have her in his life at all.

Jin threw his keys to Namjoon who unlocked the door to their apartment and led them in. Izzy walked into the dark living room, finally letting out a yawn.

"Ow! Damn it," her foot throbbed from whatever gigantic thing she'd just rammed it into. "What the hell is this thing?" The lights were flicked on as Izzy leaned on the huge box and threw her heels off, massaging her hurt toe.

"It's a bed," Hoseok told her as he flopped onto the couch.
"A bed? What the hell do you guys need another bed for? And why is it in the middle of the—"
"It's for you," her eyes snapped up to a smiling Taehyung.
"What?"
"Oh come on Izzy, you didn't seriously think that we would keep letting you sleep on the couch," he grinned happily as he sat down on top of the box and Izzy did the same.
"We were gonna set it up tonight but then we found your note so we ran out of here as fast as we could. Sorry it's not ready yet," he laughed a bit, swinging his feet.

Izzy looked around at the group of boys gathered in the living room. They were all just sitting or standing around and smiling at her. She felt tears prick her eyes but pushed them back, she hadn't known that it was possible to cry from happiness. She wanted to hug the crap out of all of them so she started with the one closest to her. Izzy's arms wound tightly around Taehyung's neck and his arms held her close, rubbing gentle circles on her back.

"Thank you guys," she made sure to speak loud enough so that all the boys heard her, even though her voice cracked. Izzy pulled out of the hug, "You really didn't have to."