SEVEN SOULS [Discontinued]

[Chapter 22]

"Jungkook?"

The maknae startled, almost dropping the glass of water in his hand. He turned around towards the source of the voice, noticing Yoongi stood a few steps away from him.

"Why are you still up?"

Jungkook shook his head. "Thirsty." He answered.

Yoongi eyed him for a few seconds, watching as the younger squirmed on his seat at the dining table under his eyes uncomfortably. "But you've been there for a while. You didn't even notice me when I went to the kitchen."

Jungkook gulped visibly, lowering his head. Yoongi noticed how he nibbled his bottom lip with his teeth and the way Jungkook's other hand gripping the hem of his shirt tightly. It wouldn't need anyone to know that there was something bothering the maknae.

"Jungkook-ah." Yoongi called him again, but it was gentler, warmer, soothing than Jungkook had expected. The maknae didn't say anything when Yoongi took a step closer until he finally sat on the chair besides the maknae.

"You okay?" he asked, placing a comforting hand on the maknae's shoulder.

Unlike his usual self, Yoongi was really patient when the maknae didn't answer him. Truth be told, he had long found that he had a soft spot for the three maknaes, that he found himself couldn't stay mad at them and involuntary doing something fond towards them.

It took a whole minute for Jungkook to finally say something, and Yoongi was patient, really patient when what he got wasn't the answer of his question, but a "Namjoon hyung went out with Tae hyung."

Yoongi looked at him for a while before nodding his head, telling him that he was, he is listening. He found himself rubbing the maknae's shoulder, trying to give the younger some comfort that he knew was needed.

Jungkook didn't utter a single word after that, but even with the distance between the two, Yoongi could hear the gear inside Jungkook's head worked really hard. The way his maknae had his eyes wide open without any sign of sleep, just looking tired and somehow lost.

Yoongi had moved his hand from Jungkook's shoulder to ran his fingertips on the maknae's back. He frowned at the way he could easily feel the maknae's bone through his shirt, feeling concerned at the maknae's eating cycle. As far as he could remember, Jungkook always eat his food very well, not even once complaining about the food that Seokjin made for them, or anything that they ordered. But then he noticed how hard they had been practicing for the competition.

"Do you wanna go back to sleep?" Yoongi asked barely above a whisper, afraid to break any comforting silence around them. He decided that if Jungkook didn't want to tell him what happened, at least he could tell the maknae to sleep.

When he received a shook of head from the maknae, Yoongi didn't even surprised. Whatever had been bothering the younger, Yoongi knew it would prevent the maknae from enjoying the luxury of sleeping.

He let his fingers traced random pattern on Jungkook's back while he wondered what Namjoon and Taehyung did outside. They knew that going outside past midnight was something prohibited, but he decided that since Taehyung went with the leader, he was sure that Namjoon wouldn't let the younger stay too long.

A deep sigh from the maknae brought him back to reality. Jungkook was no longer holding his glass on the table, instead he was fiddling with the hem of his shirt. He noticed how the maknae was biting his lower lips, hard, that he afraid it would be bleeding.