Finding Your Voice •Namjin•

•Chapter 31•

[a/n] *dabs through the tears* Kim Seokjin is gorgeous and I love him

*whispers* this chapter is shorter than usual

Lunchtime, was of course the best time of day.

Taehyung, Jungkook, and Jimin sat outside, despite all the snow and how cold it was, to eat lunch. The cold was a good thing, it meant the other kids wouldn't want to risk their discomfort just to come try and knock them around, which could easily turn into a fight.

Jimin sat between the two, head resting on his hand with his eyes fixed ahead. He was really tired.

"Here, Jin packed for both of us." Tae pulled their lunch, offering Jimin a pair of chopsticks.

Only half willingly did Jimin take it, and Jungkook watched warily as he took a few small bites. He was becoming more and more aware of how little he usually ate at lunch, often insisting he had a big breakfast. But Jungkook seldom believed him.

The youngest almost forgot about his own food, way too caught up in watching his two other friends for a long moment, until he noticed Jimin glance at him. With reddening ears Jungkook turned back to his own food. The way he saw it, it wasn't supposed to be his place to butt in on his hyungs eating habits, but he was worried.

About both of them, really. Not just Jimin. Taehyung, whom was usually the life of the party, making strange jokes, and always doing something silly. But he noticed how much sadder he had gotten, since when they first met, it was subtle but oh so obvious at the same time, the more Jungkook was around them. Jimin on the other hand was different, he had always carried this mysterious sadness, different then Tae's. But there nonetheless.

Jungkook hadn't seen Jimin without this sadness before. He couldn't blame him, it was apparent none of them had the world going for them.

Tae struggled knowing someone he cared for might be dying.

Jungkook had a dysfunctional family.

Jimin? Jungkook didn't even know. You wouldn't think from looking at his short stature, and soft cheeks that he could have been through bad things. But looking past everything, like Jungkook did, he was another person who was hurting inside. Why, though? Why was he hurting?

Jungkook frowned at his rice. He wasn't sure if he'd ever be able to figure out his hyung. But, he could try.

And for now that was all he could do.

•••

6:19 am.

Jin, after yet another exhausting evening of working at the deli, was making his way back home once more, hands stuffed in his pockets to keep them warm.

Jimin had stopped by after school earlier to pick up his clothes, and stuck around for awhile before going home. He had offered for him to stay another night, if he needed it, but the younger had given a forced smile and insisted he was fine, and should get back home.

Jin was worried about him, but again, if seemed like a situation where he was helpless to do anything but wait in silence and hope that maybe, just maybe, a chance to be able to help would come along; and he hoped that was sooner rather than later.

His mind preoccupied, he seldom noticed how close behind him a certain someone was. Seokjin was entirely lost to this, seeing as he had walked this same way home to Namjoons apartment so many times before yet never once encountered trouble. On this early morning he hadn't been expecting it, seeing as it felt like an average trip back in the predawn hours. It happened that that wasn't the case this time.