Faltering Steps • J-Hope

xv.

Jin hesitated, deferring to Namjoon, who stared at the ground for a long moment, thinking. Then he looked up to Sehun. "Xiumin was going to take the fall for you, you know that?"

Sehun's tears started back up again like someone was just flipping an on/off switch inside his tear ducts. "Please, my hyung didn't do anything...It was my fault. He's just trying to protect me because he's the oldest and I'm the youngest and he thinks it's his job to take care of all of us."

"It is the oldest's job to take care of and protect all his dongsaengs," Jin said. "Especially the maknae. But he can't protect you this time. Not from something you did. Are you prepared to own up to that?"

Sehun nodded vigorously. "I don't want to drag my hyung into all this trouble..."

"How did he find out in the first place?" Yoongi asked conversationally. Clearly, Sehun's tears had no effect on him.

"Somebody drove me home that night...I don't know who, it was all kind of a blur, just some company driver...and I got back to find everyone else asleep except Xiumin, who waited up for me because I was late and he was worried...and I just couldn't keep it in, even though our producer told me to put a lid on it...I ended up telling Xiumin what had happened...and-"

"And I told him not to worry, that I'd take care of it," Xiumin said. He wasn't crying, but he did look a bit more pale than when he'd let them all come in. "It was an accident. Sehun didn't mean for it to happen. And I knew the producer would try to hush it up. But when I heard that the other car had been BTS, I figured you'd come asking questions sooner or later. I already knew that Sehun was an emotional wreck over it, and I didn't want you all to make it worse, so yeah, I was ready to take the blame on this one."

"Xiumin-hyung just doesn't want to lose anybody else," Sehun said quietly, his tears gradually stopping. "We've already lost Kris, Tao, and Luhan. He was worried that if something about this got out, they'd make me leave, and then they'd all lose me too."

"Looks like you're safe," Yoongi said blankly, looking away. "Good for you. You get to keep playing with your EXO buddies while Hobi might have to leave BTS. But hey, at least you get to stay, right? Like I said. Good for you. Congratulations."

"Yoongi, cut it out," Namjoon said quietly, but his thoughts echoed Yoongi's own. How unfair was it to Hobi that the one who had screwed up didn't have to face any consequences while Hobi faced all of them?

"We should go," Jin said, tired between talking with the EXO members and trying to keep his family in check. Especially Yoongi. He was getting saltier by the second, and sooner or later, he was going to say something awful that he couldn't take back and that he would feel bad about later.

Yoongi just nodded and opened the door to Xiumin's room, heading for the door that would let them out of the dorm, and Namjoon and Jin followed him, Sehun and Xiumin following them.

"So? Can I come with you guys to apologize?" Sehun asked. Part of him seemed hopeful while the other part seemed anxious. He was probably afraid of being hated by Hobi.

Namjoon, noticing that both Jin and Yoongi were checked out, hesitated before shaking his head. "Another time. It's getting late."

Sehun paused before hanging his head and nodding slightly. "Right. Of course. I'm sorry."

Namjoon felt bad, but he opened the door and left with Jin and Yoongi. "Now we know," he said, his voice soft enough that it didn't carry farther than his two friends.

"Now the question is..." Jin began.

"Should Hobi know?" Yoongi finished.

thinking about doing a character q&a at the end?? thoughts??

i don't know, we did one for "issues" but i'm not sure if people would enjoy that

just hit me up with a comment and let me know how you feel about that