𝕯𝖆𝖗𝖑𝖎𝖓𝖌 || 𝖄𝖔𝖔𝖓𝖒𝖎𝖓

~fourteen~

At about 7:30 am, the guy who has the morning shift shows up and Yoongi and Jimin can finally leave.

Yoongi goes to the back room to get changed out of his work attire quickly, and him and Jimin exit the store. Yoongi stands on the sidewalk and fishes out a half finished packet of cigarettes from his jacket pocket, lighting it up and swiftly taking a deep drag.

He looks over at Jimin, who is half asleep. Yoongi isn't sure how the younger is even functioning right now. Jimin looks absolutely drained in every sense of the word. Eyes half mast, shoulders slumped, knees close to buckling so he leans against the store wall. Yoongi had asked him multiple times throughout the night if he wanted to be dropped off somewhere. Or if he was too tired. But Jimin, stubborn as he was, refused to admit that he wasn't okay.

Yoongi thinks over what Jimin had told him the night before. He feels like a shitty friend for not even having a hint of an idea about what had been happening in that house.

But Jimin has always been the most positive and brightest person he's ever known. Yoongi wonders how much of it is merely an act. A front. 

He stands there finishing his cigarette, Jimin waiting patiently. They watch the morning traffic go by. Cars, bikes and buses rolling past. Office workers, students, store owners, businessmen and the like rushing to their respective workplaces. 

Yoongi thinks about what to do next as he flicks the ash off the end of the cigarette, watching the ash get carried away by the light breeze. He can't send Jimin back to his home, he just can't. 

He's thinking over it when his phone rings. Jimin glances at him. Yoongi fishes out his phone, grimacing when he sees that the battery is at 7%. Frickin' baby fails compilation playlists that never seem to end.

The caller ID says Jin Hyung. Yoongi's hand tighten around the phone and he picks up. "Hello?"

"Yoongi?", he sounds panicked. Yoongi swallows. 

"Yeah?"

"I-I can't find Jiminie anywhere. I tried calling him multiple times but he wouldn't pick up. He's not with Junghoon, Tae or Jungkook either. Have you seen him?", Seokjin asks, so fast the words get jumbled up and Yoongi almost doesn't catch them.

Yoongi sighs,"Don't worry, hyung. He's with me", he answers, glancing at Jimin who looks at him with a questioning gaze.

Seokjin sighs in relief down the line, "Oh, thank God. Where are you guys?"

Yoongi pauses, "At my apartment?" It comes out as a question and he looks at Jimin expectantly. 

Jimin nods and rubs at his eyes with his fist. It's cute. Yoongi shakes his head and looks away. 

"I'll be over there in ten. Guessing..that's okay?", Seokjin's tone turns softer and more hesitant towards the end. 

Yoongi chews on his bottom lip. So much has changed hasn't it. "Yeah, that's okay." 

"Okay, thanks. See you in a bit."  Then the line goes dead. Yoongi stuffs his phone back in his pocket and looks at Jimin who has his eyes closes, head leaned back against the wall. In the natural lighting, his injuries look a bit worse. Cheek bruised in shades of purple and bottom lip split open in a way that looks like it stings. He should get it cleaned again.

Yoongi takes another drag and blows the smoke out. He clears his throat making Jimin look at him. "Where's your phone? Jin hyung said he called you many times."

Jimin blinks at him a few times. "Home.", he replies. His mind has officially slipped into autopilot mode, it seems.

"Okay," Yoongi drops the cigarette in a nearby trashcan after stubbing it. "Let's get to my place before you actually pass out on me."