Precious Self in the Storm • Seokjin [✔]

20 - Home

As Seokjin shuffled down the street, he felt a twisted sense of nostalgia in his purposeless steps and hollow eyes.

He's heading to YOHAN's café now, since it's the only place he could ever think of. He has nowhere else to go. Again. For the third time now. He knows it's mean of him to ask for refuge with the Tan's again, when he's given them so little in return.

He stared down to his shoes as he walked. They're dirty, mud and dirt staining most his feet and up his jeans. Both his exposed knees had gone a bright red, sending jots of stinging pain in each step he takes. There are tiny cuts all over his arms.

A lifetime ago, he used to be someone – an actual someone. He had a family of seven that he cares so deeply about. In his mind and heart, he still remembers the way they smile at him, the way their voices exclaim 'hyung!' with bright grins and bright eyes. Seokjin craves for those moments, even if he doesn't deserve as much. He still wishes he could say sorry to them, for falling apart so much and over and over again.

"Jin hyung?"

Oh, great. Now he's hearing things. That's just cruel, Seokjin thought as he bitterly chuckled to himself.

"Seokjin!"

Huh. Okay. Are auditory hallucinations supposed to be that real sounding or?

Seokjin looked up-

And there they are.

Namjoon, Yoongi, Jimin, Hoseok, Jungkook, and Taehyung all huddled around a table in front of the café. They all looked at him with equal amounts of disbelief. Seokjin must've looked the same. Yoongi had stood up.

Is this a dream?

Yoongi's face morphed from disbelief, to confusion, to a relived smile that lit up his entire face. He ran to him.

"Seokjin!"

Seokjin, still frozen on his spot nearly fell backwards when he got an armful of Yoongi. He felt hands wrapping tight around him, felt the desperate need to never let go in fear that Seokjin would disappear again. He caught the scent of Yoongi's cologne, the feeling of his soft hair brushing against his.

This can't be real.

He heard the voices and footsteps of the others. And then everywhere around him is warmth. Their familiar presences wrapped around him like a protective veil, alive and breathing and real. Holding unto him so strongly that he felt the broken pieces inside him mend back together one by one.

"You're- you're here," Seokjin gasped out, starting to believe. "You're- wait."

He pulled himself away, staring in shock.

"Why are you still here?!" he exclaimed frantically. "You're supposed to be at the airport right now! You're going to miss your flights!"

Seokjin regretted how the others looked hurt when he ripped himself away from them, and already he craves to be in their group hug once more, for far longer.

Namjoon stepped forward, held two firm hands on Seokjin's shoulders, as if to prevent Seokjin from running away. "Hyung. We cancelled."

Seokjin looked up to him, bewildered. "...What?"

"We cancelled the invitation," Hoseok said, coming up next to him to put a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"But- why would you-"

"We couldn't leave, hyung," Jungkook remarked timidly, his doe eyes haven't looked away from Seokjin since their hug. "We tried to, but we couldn't bring ourselves to leave knowing you're still out there."