forever won't wait

heaven's waiting

The slapping sound of sneakers on pavement filled Jeongguk's ears. His legs burned, rain made his eyes sting, and his lungs screamed for a moment of respite, but he couldn't let himself stop. Even as the buildings around him grew less dense, even as the lights dimmed, even as he found himself leaving the city, he couldn't stop.

His breath came in quick, short pants. His legs pumped faster and faster until they simply couldn't work anymore.

When Taehyung left class, Namjoon was waiting for him outside.

He was leaning against the side of the building, anxiously tapping his toes along to some rhythm unknown to the rest of the world. His usually fluffy light pink hair drooped a bit, and as Taehyung wove between people toward him he pushed it back with one hand.

When their eyes met, Namjoon's face lit up and a smile spread across his face, revealing his dimples (the ones that without fail made Taehyung melt). He stood up straight and pulled Taehyung into an incredibly sudden kiss, wrapping his hands around the others waist and neck.

Yoongi had been on his nightly coffee run, as per usual. Jin had to pull an all-nighter again, between working at two different shops and studying for his master's; it fell to Yoongi to ensure that he was able to do so.

As he crossed over the footbridge that led from one half of the city to the other, his thoughts drifted. He often felt like a leech to his best friend, who paid all of the rent, power, water, and more often than not covered Yoongi when his bank account was low. Never once did he complain, though the last time Yoongi sold the rights to a song had been over six months ago.

"Fuck!"

It really wasn't his fault. How was he supposed to see that kid? Wearing all black like that, blending into the street. Besides, he was laying right in the way; it was like he wanted Yoongi to trip over him. Still, he felt a little bad. Maybe if the kid's still here when he's on his way back home he'll try to wake him up, see if he needs a place to stay.

Namjoon was the one to break the kiss, pulling himself away with a smile. Tae felt a slight tug on his hand; within a minute he and Namjoon were off, running through the streets and weaving around people.

Yoongi sighed.

"Come on, kid. You can't stay out here all night."

The kid scrambled to his feet, and as Yoongi turned and continued walking, tripped over himself, hasty to catch up.

"W-where are you going? Why are you...?"

Yoongi paused underneath a streetlamp, yellowy light pooling over his features. The kid slowed until they were next to each other.

"Yoongi. I'm taking you somewhere that's at least a little bit safer than the middle of the fucking street."

The kid nodded. "I'm Jeongguk. You really don't have to do anything for me, I can take care of myself just fine."

Yoongi didn't respond, and carried on walking, Jin's coffee long forgotten.

"Joonie, slow down!"

"Joonie? That's a new one."

They had stopped by a little hole-in-the-wall used bookstore. The paint on the sign was peeling, the doorway slanted so much that it was almost alarming, yet there was a certain charm to the place. A little cafe sat next door, almost blended in with the bookstore (the two were in nearly the same amount of disrepair).

"This is where I like to go on my days off. I uh, thought that you might find it..."

"Interesting?" Taehyung finished for him. It was just like Namjoon to fall in love with a place like this, filled with secrets and wisdom and things just waiting to be discovered, old thoughts waiting to be renewed again.

"Yeah. That's a good way to put it."

Yoongi lead Jeongguk through the winding streets, checking back every so often to make sure that he was still being followed at a pace just far enough to avoid conversation, but not so far as to lose track of him. A fair medium, basically.

Upon arriving the at the apartment, opening the door, and kicking off his shoes, he remembered the coffee that he was originally sent to get. Too late now, he supposed.

Jin peeked his head around the hallway.

"I see you've brought home a stray. What was that lecture that you gave Tae earlier? Something about 'Just because he's lonely doesn't mean he wants to be whisked away?"

Yoongi rolled his eyes, only slightly embarrassed at his hypocrisy being caught. "He was lying in the middle of the street. It's only for the night, anyway."

"Whatever you say." Jin turned to the newcomer. "I'm Seokjin. Feel free to help yourself, whether it's to food or a shower or otherwise. Hobi isn't here, and he probably won't be back for a while, so you can use his room. Bathroom's the last room down that hall, and you'll find the bedroom right across from it."

Jeongguk nodded slowly, but it was obvious that he was having trouble registering the info. Yoongi shook his head, slung an arm around his shoulder, and guided him down the hall, pointing out he and Jin's shared room, as well as the kitchen and Hoseok's room.

After they reached the end of the "tour", Yoongi left Jeongguk to his own devices and wandered down towards the main room, sitting down across from Jin.

"I heard from Hoseok today. His family, rather."

"Yeah?" Yoongi responded. It wasn't unlike Hobi to go missing like this for a few days at a time. Come to think of it, he had been gone for over a week now, giving Jin plenty of reason to worry.

"He overdosed. He's doing better; they've put him in a mental hospital for a while."

Hoseok's problem was little talked about, but they all-Yoongi, Jin, Namjoon, and Tae-knew about it. It had come about sometime last November, and had only gotten worse. He disappeared more often, gave up his dreams, and slowly started to give up on himself. None of the others had wanted to acknowledge the problem, and it only grew.

"Maybe he'll finally get the help he needs."