Don't Come Inside • Jungkook

x.

The news about Jungkook not being part of the comeback broke, albeit later than expected. Of course they'd known it would have to come out at some point, but none of them had much been looking forward to the day the internet was swarmed with questioning fans.

And none of them wanted to say it, but secretly, they all knew that all the hard work they were putting in would be immediately forgotten, pushed aside by concerns for Jungkook. It started to feel like what they were doing didn't even matter.

Still, they practiced, pushing themselves past their limits to pull off an impossible and seemingly meaningless comeback.

They finished up dance practice and, as usual, Jimin prepared to stay longer.

"I'm sorry," Hoseok apologized despite Jimin waving off his protests. "I just- I've had this weird feeling lately, like...like someone is watching me, and...it feels stupid to say it, but I'm just a little scared I guess of walking home that late..."

"It's fine," Jimin said. His voice had come back a bit, enough for him to speak, but he couldn't get much louder than a normal conversation. Now that the recording was finished, though, he could rest up his voice for the comeback.

"Maybe Taehyung can...?" Hoseok trailed off, already reaching for his bag and mask.

Jimin shook his head, giving Hoseok a light push out the door. "Hurry up and catch up with the others or you'll get left behind."

Hoseok turned his head over his shoulder, giving Jimin a grateful smile. "Text me when you're done, okay? Promise? So I don't worry?"

Jimin just rolled his eyes and nodded before giving Hoseok another push, and he squeezed Jimin's arm in gratitude before jogging out of the dance studio and catching up to the other members just as they were exiting the building. The sight of their backs was oddly relieving to him.

"Hey, you're coming home early tonight?" Jin asked, looking over at Hoseok with a smile. "Well, I guess I mean on time, but early because you're usually late so...you know what I mean."

"Yeah, I've just been feeling a little anxious lately," Hoseok admitted, not even wanting to voice that much.

"About the comeback?" Namjoon asked, meeting Hoseok's eyes with a question in his own, and Hoseok shrugged before nodding apprehensively.

"Yeah, probably, I don't know. I'm not really quite sure why."

"We've all been a bit on edge lately," Namjoon said, his voice gentle, not wanting to make Hoseok feel any weaker for it.

Hoseok nodded, trying to convince Namjoon - and himself - that that was all it was. He'd kept trying to tell himself that it was nothing, but that odd feeling had kept him up last night. He planned to take another sleeping pill tonight. He needed to reset his brain, get a good night's rest, and put the whole thing behind him.

And yet even as they walked back to their dorm, he kept looking over his shoulder, half-expecting to meet a pair of eyes.

***

It was around one in the morning when Jimin texted Hoseok, letting him know that he was going to head home soon.

Immediately, Hoseok sat up on the couch and called him.

"Yeah hyung?" Jimin answered, sounding out of breath and maybe a little tired but still running on the energy of exercise.

"Where are you right now?" Hoseok asked, biting at his fingernail before looking out the dark window. The street below was illuminated not just by a streetlight but also by light reflecting off the wet pavement. It had been raining for two hours now, and while Hoseok normally loved a good storm at night, it failed to put him at ease. He hadn't taken the sleeping pill like he'd intended, and he knew that he'd just be sent into another bout of paranoia until he finally rested, but he couldn't help it.

"Right outside the dance studio, why?"

"Just- stay there, okay? I'm going to call the company to drive you home. It's dark and it's raining. Can you go back inside for a minute?"

"Not really, the door locked behind me and I forgot my keys. Namjoon let us in, remember?"

"That's right...okay, just sit tight for a few, a car is on the way and I'm leaving the front door open for you, just lock it when you get in."

"All right, thanks, hyung," Jimin answered, hanging up, and Hoseok took a deep breath before contacting his manager and asking him to send a driver over. He got a reply moments later, and with that, he was able to breathe out in relief. Another glance towards the window informed him that the rain had let up a bit, and he decided that it was a good sign for him to finally take a sleeping pill and get some rest that couldn't be attained otherwise.

***

Hoseok's alarm woke him at 8 am feeling more refreshed than he'd felt in days. That incessant edge of fear was gone, washed away by sleep, and he felt more like himself, more confident, more assured. It was easier in his present state to tell himself that he'd just been a little spooked lately, the result of overworking himself, stressing over the upcoming comeback, and not getting enough sleep.

He entered the kitchen to find Jin and Namjoon talking quietly. They looked over as he entered, Namjoon's face set in a frown, and Hoseok winced preemptively, knowing that something was his fault. "What's up?" he asked, setting his hands down on the back of one of the kitchen chairs, his fingers playing with the rungs.

"You left the door unlocked last night, Hoseok. You know we can't do that."

Hoseok's fingers tightened on the chair. He realized that Jimin must have forgotten to lock the door after himself, but he didn't want to get the younger boy in trouble, not when he was working so hard. "Sorry about that, it just slipped my mind I guess."

Namjoon sighed, rubbing at his brow. "You can't just forget. Please remember next time."

Hoseok nodded earnestly. "Right. Again, sorry."

Namjoon waved off the apology. "It's fine, can you just call everyone out? The manager wanted me to announce a few things about our schedule."

Hoseok nodded, leaving the kitchen and knocking on each of the doors, yelling for them to go into the living room.

A few minutes later, they'd all gathered on the couch, Namjoon standing in front of them. "So, about our schedule. They added a stop- all right, wait up, where's Jimin?" Namjoon looked over at Hoseok. "I told you to get everyone, didn't I?"

"Sorry," Hoseok said, hopping up. "I forgot to knock on our door since I'm already up. I'll go grab him." He stopped at their door, knocking first before opening the door and poking his head in. "Jiminie? Bub? Are you awake yet?"

He frowned when he was met with an empty room. He tried to remember if he'd seen Jimin when he'd woken up, but he hadn't been thinking about it then. He closed the door, staring at it for a moment before heading back to the living room.

"So like I was say- Hoseok, you were supposed to grab Jimin," Namjoon reminded, his frustration barely concealed, and Hoseok frowned, shrugging.

"He wasn't in our room."

"He probably fell asleep in the dance studio again," Taehyung suggested with a yawn.

"No, I called him when he was done and he said he was outside and couldn't go back in anyway because he forgot his keys," Hoseok said, massaging his temple as he tried to recall their exact conversation. "I didn't want him walking home alone so I asked our manager to get the company to send him a driver, which they did. Maybe Jimin just left the dorm early?"

Namjoon was quiet for a moment as he sat down in the chair behind him, resting his elbows on his knees and clasping his hands together. Nobody spoke, recognizing his expression as that of intense thought, and after a minute, he looked up.

"We need to check the studio. Meanwhile, Hoseok, please contact the manager and ask if he sent the car and if it was returned."

Hoseok paled. "You think something happened to Jimin?"

"I don't know, but that's how it happened with Jungkook," Namjoon said, standing up and leaving the room to gather his things. He didn't have to say anything to Hoseok to let him know that he'd screwed up.