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Jimin opened his eyes slowly because it took him some effort to manage the feat. Though he was starting to come around he still felt a little heavy all over and something at the back of his mind seemed to hint that it might be the result of anaesthesia. Why he had been put under was something that he had yet to figure out whilst floating around in that horrible fogginess, but he was more than certain that he was in a hospital because the scent of antiseptic was too great to possibly mean he was anywhere else. It was strong enough for him to nearly taste it and he wondered if they cleaned everything with the substance including the beds. His eyelids flickered open and then closed again but after a second he got them to stay open and he stared up at the ceiling to see that it was in perfect condition, not like the hostel they had been staying in. Usually the ceilings in the hostels were stained from age and tobacco, yellowed in the corners with cracks in the plaster that made them seem hundreds of years of old rather than a decade or two. The one he was looking at currently was clean and crack-free, neat little tiles that ran in rows and reminded him of teeth for some reason: perfect little teeth that might have been straightened by braces so not a single one of them was kinked in anyway. Speaking of teeth he strangely couldn't feel his own and he couldn't help himself from prodding the tip of his tongue forward so that it poked against the backs of his front teeth. If he couldn't feel his teeth then he was mostly certain stoned on something, and the most obvious answer was indeed anaesthetic. After prodding his teeth a few times to make sure that they were still there he tried moving his tongue somewhere else but it was too dry and he didn't like the sensation at all. It felt like his tongue was made from carpet just like the hostel rooms, dusty and itchy carpet.

He felt along the bed with his other hand, the one that wasn't resting on top of his friend's, and felt the sheets rustling against his fingertips. Definitely lying in a bed. He felt like his upper half was elevated somewhat and he tried to ascertain if it was the result of pillows or if the bed was possibly raised, yet when he tried to wriggle and find out he felt too exhausted to do so. His eyelids might have opened and he might be able to move his fingers and wrists but he was most certainly out of action right now. No walking for him, that was a little out of his current abilities. What had happened to him? Jungkook had been hit by a car just a few days ago and-

Jungkook.

The thought of the boy was enough to cause a strange sensation in the pit of his stomach, a sudden clenching. Where was Jungkook right now? Why had he heard him shouting in his head just a few minutes ago? He knew that something had happened and yet whatever drugs had been pumped into his system was making it hard for him to figure it out. He had been shouting something...something about wrecks and car crashes, the Titanic... Who had he been shouting that at? Not him, he was certain of that much and he had a feeling that it was Taehyung. The boy had entered the room drunk just before the shouting...hadn't he? Just trying to figure it all out was making his head hurt and he would have let out a groan if he could move his stupid tongue. All he knew was that the clenching sensation had felt a little like fear and that meant one thing to him: he was scared by the thought of Jungkook. Why? He would probably have to ask Yoongi that particular question.

After staring at the ceiling for several minutes Jimin decided to attempt to turn his head. He managed a slight change of position but then he couldn't seem to move it anymore because there was something around his neck. Something thick and unyielding. Bandages? He couldn't reach up to feel them but that was what he thought it was. It was the only thing that made sense to him. But even with the slight change in position he could still see more than he had a moment ago, could make out the left side of the room that he was in. More white walls just like the ceiling, little windows that looked to be observation ones along the length of wall and an open doorway. He could see people moving down the corridor just outside, a flash of blue and white but nothing more discernible than that as they moved too quickly past the small gap. If the ceiling tiles were teeth then the doorway was like an eye, a rolling iris that wouldn't stop moving. Just past his friend he could see a few empty beds and he wondered if he was alone in this current room or if there was anyone to his right in another bed. The bed covers were a soft blue, the pillows and sheets white, and the curtains that could be pulled around matched the covers. Currently they were pulled all the way up at the top of the bed, bunched together to keep them in place and show that the beds were free. There was a considerable stack of pillows on each bed and he figured out that he was likely lying on a mountain of them too, so many that he didn't sink into their softness. They propped him up rather well however, so that was a bonus because he couldn't have possibly sat up the way he was feeling right now. He couldn't even move his tongue or lift an arm, sitting up would have been too hard and he would have been left lying and staring up at the ceiling tiles instead.

Jimin stopped scanning the plain walls and empty beds and instead turned his attention to his friend instead because at least he was interesting to look at. Yoongi was slumped forward and though he might have been sitting in the chair to the side of the bed he wasn't doing so now, rather he was mostly lying on the bed beside him. Face down, one arm sprawled out to the side so that he wasn't even using his folded up forearm as a pillow and instead just had his face pressed against the covers. He hoped that they didn't smell like the ones back in the hostel, bleached and rough to the touch. He didn't have his jacket on, it was likely still all the way back in said room right now along with his cigarettes, and he could see the marks on his arm perfectly clear now; now he was no longer consciously trying to hide them away. He briefly wondered what a nurse would think if they saw the burns before he pulled his gaze away from the welts and instead looked at the back of his head. Hair fanned out on the covers messily, the red starting to turn black at the roots. Would his friend keep dyeing it, or would he go back to his natural shade? It had been quite some time since he had seen it and he suddenly felt the greatest urge to reach over and touch his hair but he couldn't; that required moving. So instead he just looked at the slightest hint of his face and then moved his eyes to look at his hand instead. He wasn't sure if the man had been holding his hand at some point and he had let go of him unconsciously in his sleep but he managed to move his own hand over and place it back on top again. Even in his current condition there was a noticeable difference in skin tone. He could trace his veins with his eyes because the colour stood out against his pale skin so much that it looked like tattoos.

Jimin moved his thumb ever so softly on the back of his hand and Yoongi didn't respond to it, didn't shift in his sleep or even make a sound. He was too deeply asleep for that and he was glad because his friend needed the rest. He didn't want to wake him up and so he stopped moving his thumb and instead just looked down at their hands.

How had Yoongi ended up in the hospital with him, and where were the others? Had he maybe volunteered to come on his own so that the others could stay back at the hostel and sort out whatever had happened? Or had...had Yoongi been the only one that wanted to come to the hospital? He knew that the thought was stupid but he still thought it regardless. Of course Yoongi wasn't the only friend in the hospital, the others were probably here somewhere but they weren't all allowed in the room. Too many visitors. Maybe the man wasn't even supposed to be here right now but he thought it was highly likely that he had argued enough to be allowed, much to the chagrin of the staff. It was enough to make him smile, even when his lips felt a little rubbery and numb.

There was a soft rustling sound and when he glanced back he saw Yoongi shifting on the bed, moving only slightly enough for his cheek to brush against the cover. He made a sound that sounded trapped between a whimper and a groan and from what he could see he was still asleep so he didn't say a word and waited to see if he would wake up.

Jimin turned his head to the other side and he once again felt the resistance from whatever was around his throat but at least he could scan the rest of the room. A single bed beside him that was also currently empty, it seemed that the hospital in this city was only small and not packed full like the ones back in Seoul. That was probably a good thing for he didn't want anyone being disturbed should his friends suddenly burst into the room and start shouting and jumping around like always. It would piss quite a few nurses off and he didn't want them getting kicked out because they would undoubtedly do it. Why, he could almost imagine Jungkook diving onto the bed and jumping up and down on it, possibly smacking him with one of the pillows from the empty beds as soon as he established that he was alright and capable of being smacked across the head with one. The way he felt right now he wouldn't even feel it unless he filled the case with rocks. On the far wall there was a long window and the view outside of it revealed the sky, tinged with violet as the sun was already rising. What time was it? No watch on his wrist, or on Yoongi's, that he could check. Was there a clock on the wall? He couldn't seem to locate one but he thought that it might have been early morning hours, perhaps 6am or maybe even a little earlier. Jimin sighed and turned back to look at his own lap and then there was another sound from beside him, a drawn-out mumble that wasn't yet words but something close.

"Look who's...awake," Jimin said and at his voice the man started violently, looking up so sharply that it was a miracle that he didn't crick his stiff neck. Yoongi peered at him from under one sleepy heavy eyelid and for a few seconds he just stared, seemingly unable to move or speak. Then he heard his breath leave his mouth in a little wheeze.

"Oh thank god, thank fuck," Yoongi muttered as he grabbed hold of his hand. Jimin dropped his gaze and his friend lifted his hand up to hold it between both of his, closing his eyes as he brought his hand up to his mouth. "Christ Jimin, I was so scared." His lips brushed against his fingers and Jimin felt the contact against his skin like frisson, a little jolt that ran up his arm.

"You don't need to be scared now," he replied, talking a little slow because it seemed a too hard to speak any faster.

"I know I know but I just..." His friend sighed and his breath was warm against his skin. "I was so scared and I felt like I was going crazy."

"You've always been a little crazy," Jimin said and he laughed. "Yoongi?" His friend made a soft noise but didn't look at him. "I'm OK, really." His eyes opened ever so slightly, his eyelashes fluttering, but he just looked at his hand rather than meet his gaze. He felt his fingers lightly moving along his skin and then Yoongi did something he had not expected at all: he kissed the back of his hand. Jimin felt a surprised gasp escaping his lips as he moved his lips along his fingers and then to his palm, planting the most softest of kisses as he did. For a few seconds he couldn't think of something to say to break the silence of the room, not even punctuated by a ticking wall clock but rather than the faintest sound of people passing in the corridor outside. "...How long have you been lying there?"

"Dunno," Yoongi said with a head shake, "I dunno, a few hours I think? Do you know where you are?" Jimin quietly said the hospital and he nodded. "Uh-huh, the hospital. Do you remember why you're here, huh?"

"...No, I'm a little foggy right now."

"Of course you're foggy," he ran his fingers along the back of his hand. "After what happened. Jimin you were in an...an accident. A bad accident."

"Like a car crash?"

"No, not a crash. Nothing like that. Jimin you...there was an argument in the hostel room. Do you remember that part?" After a few seconds of thought he nodded as well as he could and confirmed that he recalled something like an argument. "It was 'cos of Tae. He came back drunk after running off yesterday morning and he upset us. Kookie got really pissed off and he unloaded on him, just started shouting. So Tae started shouting back and it got outta hand so fast. Everyone was angry, everyone jumped in and tried to calm it down but it was just too heated and we couldn't."

"Why was Tae drunk?" Jimin asked.

"'Cos he was upset, and angry and...scared. He didn't wanna talk to us, he didn't wanna face his problems so he ran away and tried to escape it all but he couldn't."

"Like what I did."

"...Yeah," Yoongi agreed after a moment, "like what you did Jimin."

"So what happened?"

"Tae and Kookie got physical. They had had enough of shouting at each other and decided to start brawling. Me and Joonie grabbed Kookie, Jin and Hoseok tried to stop Tae, but they were so pissed that we couldn't hold 'em back. They were kicking and screaming and trying to beat the shit outta each other and every time we nearly stopped 'em something would happen and they would be grappling again. So you...you jumped between 'em to try and break 'em up but Tae..." Yoongi stopped and took a deep breath before letting out again in an uneven sigh. "Tae had a soju bottle, one he had been drinking from. He tried to hit Kookie with it but that was when you jumped between 'em and he hit you instead."

Jimin didn't take his eyes off his friend and he just stared at him silently, waiting for it to all click in his mind. Yet after several seconds it didn't seem to do that. He was just as confused and distant to it all as he had been before his friend had started explaining it to him. He felt like the man was explaining a complicated movie plot to him and he just couldn't wrap his head around it. He had been hit by a bottle? Tae had smashed a bottle over his head? When had that happened, and why couldn't he remember it? He couldn't even recall stepping between the two boys, recall them fighting to the point of blows. All he could remember was shouting voices, distraught pained voices and words that hurt his heart. But Yoongi was telling him that that was what had happened and though he couldn't seem to remember he was willing to accept it because he knew that his friend would never lie to him.

"The bottle...it hit you on the face Jimin. Right here." Yoongi lifted his hand and moved it so that he could press it against his face. Jimin's fingertips felt skin and then the most strangest thing: a thick wad of dressings held to his lower cheek by medical tape. He furrowed his brow at this and then his friend was lowering his hand. "And a shard flew and got stuck here, right here." His fingers now against the side of his throat, right where the unyielding rolls of bandage where, the ones that stopped him from turning his head properly. "There was a shard of glass stuck in your throat Jimin."

"...Oh shit." Yoongi laughed at this remark, the sound both relieved and also still a little nervous. "I don't remember any of that."

"You've had surgery, that's probably why." Jimin felt along his throat, along the bandages. He couldn't feel anything under them, a bump or a gash to alert of him of the damage. "That's why I was so scared Jimin. I was terrified that you were really in danger, that you might have..." Yoongi swallowed hard and didn't finish this sentence. "I started hollering in the hostel parking lot." He looked at him but didn't lower his hand. "They wouldn't let anyone in the ambulance. They were gonna take you away from us so I started screaming." His friend's lips lifted at the corners for a moment. "I mean really screaming, I think I freaked everyone out but it worked, they let me ride in the back with you. But when we got here they had to wheel you away again and I caused a lot of trouble then too... think the nurses are pissed off with me. I refused to even wait in the waiting area, instead I sat in the hallway outside the operating wing. I thought they were gonna call the police on me but they didn't, they just left me alone. Every time the door swung open I was like... "is it Jimin?" and I would sit up but it kept turning out to be other people. For a little while I was..."

"What?"

"I was scared that you weren't gonna come out again even though it was so fucking stupid. It's just...you went through the doors and wouldn't come back out. I felt like a dog waiting for their owner to come back from work, y'know? Just sitting there...waiting." Yoongi dropped his eyes to the bed covers. "Every time they swung open I was just hoping that it would be you. Shit, I nearly started praying 'cos I was that desperate. When the nurse finally wheeled you back out it seemed like forever. I jumped up and grabbed onto your hand and she kept looking at me like I should let go as she pushed you into this wing and then I must've fallen asleep or something."

Jimin studied his face to see that he still looked exhausted, even with a little rest. He was shaking slightly as if cold and he wished that there was a blanket on the bed that he could give him, that he could wrap around his shoulders just to stop that shivering. The thought that someone had actually worried over him that much was...shocking. He doubted his father would even give a shit and though he had no way of knowing he greatly assumed that he wouldn't even visit the hospital. He would refuse to come and see him, the useless kid that had gotten a shard of glass stuck in his throat because he had jumped into a fight like an idiot; messing up just like always. His friend still had his hand within his own and he reached up to touch the bandages again with his free hand.

"I might be clumsy," he said quietly, "but I'm lucky, huh?"

"Real fucking lucky," Yoongi agreed as he also reached up to touch the side of his throat. Even through the thick layer of bandages he felt the contact, the warmth of his fingertips caressing his skin. He kept his hand in place for a moment before moving it away, shifting in the chair as he did. "I think I should let the others come and see you now, right?" Jimin said that that sounded like a good idea and so his friend got to his feet and let out a groan as he reached down and rubbed at his lower back. He tried not to smirk at this as he scrunched his face up. "I'll be right back, OK?"

"Sure thing." Jimin watched him cross the wing and disappear through the open doorway and then he took a deep breath and let it out again in a heavy sigh. He felt drained right now and he hoped that the others might be able to inject a little energy into him or else he was likely going to fall asleep. He shifted slightly and managed to sit up a little more, back brushing against the stack of pillows so that he could feel the metal headrest against his neck, cold and hard. The covers had slipped down during this and he reached up to fix them when he looked at his hand and paused, fingers sinking into the material. Yoongi had kissed his hand. Not once, not twice, but multiple times that had been hard to count because he had done so quickly and softly. He had done that because he was relieved of course, relieved that he was safe and stable after the accident last night and yet...

Jimin quickly fixed the cover over his ribs as he let his eyes drift over to the empty chair. Yoongi had been there for possibly hours, worried and uncomfortable and even scared just like he had told him. Had he done that because his relief had been so great that he had been unable to stop himself? Yet Jimin recalled not kissing Jungkook's hands after his car crash, or Hoseok after his collapse on the streets. Would the rest of his friends race in and plant kisses all over his hands and cheeks, or would they ruffle his hair and embrace him like usual? And why did he have the most strangest idea that it was not the first time that Yoongi had done something like that; memories of standing on that bridge in the torrential rain as his friend had shouted at him and grabbed hold of his face. But before he could possibly try and figure out his thoughts he heard a sound down the corridor and he lifted his gaze just in time to see Jungkook come flying into the wing.

"Hey, are you-" the boy raced across the room and threw himself at him, knees hitting the bed mattress and arms wrapping around his neck so suddenly that Jimin let out a squeaky noise in surprise.

"Jimin, oh god Jimin," Jungkook said, voice so fast that he could barely understand what he was saying, "you're OK, you're OK, thank god, thank god-"

"Kookie," Jimin said, straining slightly because he was squeezing pretty tightly. "Slow...down..."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean any of that shit that I said and I didn't mean for you to get hurt. I didn't, I swear I didn't and-"

"I know, I know you didn't," he said with a soft laugh, chin digging into his shoulder. The others quickly stepped through the doorway and he felt Jungkook's fingers reaching up to touch his hair. "You don't need to say...sorry you just need to...let me breathe!" His friend let go of him with an embarrassed laugh and then he rubbed at his eyes. He saw that his cheeks were wet and this shocked him enough that he felt his mouth hanging open.

"Park Jimin," Namjoon breathed out, "you lucky son of a..." Jimin dragged his eyes away from the youngest boy to grin at him and then the young man crossed the room too, arms already out in front of him. "Come here right now."

"You come here, I can't move right now," he joked and Namjoon leaned over Jungkook's legs to pull him into an embrace. No hair ruffling but rather a few solid thumps on his back before he released him and stepped back to let the others come over.

"Jiminie~" Hoseok practically sang as he darted over to the bed, a smile on his face that looked so happy and bright that it made him think of what he used to be like; the old optimistic Hoseok that never had a bad day ever.

"Hoseokie~" He copied with a laugh as the boy quickly embraced him. When he let him go he started patting at his head and cheeks affectionately.

"Is anything hurting right now?" He shook his head and said that he still felt pretty numb, gesturing up at the taped bandages on his cheek as he did. "We'll have to steal you some anesthetic," Hoseok joked as he moved along to the bottom of the bed beside Jungkook.

"Yes please," he replied as he glanced over at his three other friends. Seokjin looked torn between sighing in relief and crying as he bent down and slipped his arms around his shoulders. He didn't embrace him too tightly, as if he was scared of hurting him in anyway, so Jimin made sure to reach up and pull him closer. When his friend shifted to let go of him he saw that his eyes looked wet too as he blinked tears back.

"God, everyone is so mushy today!" he declared, making his friends laugh as he did. "Don't cry, OK? You'll make me cry and I dunno why I'm supposed to be crying."

"Because you're alright," Seokjin said as he sniffed, "and we don't need to worry any more." Yoongi moved to sit back in the chair beside the bed, sinking back against it with a weary sigh.

"You were worried?" Jimin asked with an eyebrow raise. "You worry when I get hurt? Shit, that happens every day, you shouldn't worry about it." He started laughing and though his friends joined in they did so halfheartedly. He looked over them slowly for a moment before noticing that Taehyung was still standing in the doorway. He had his hands shoved into his hoodie pockets, the hood pulled up so that he could just see a mess of dark hair hanging over his eyes. He looked like he wanted to step outside perhaps, that he didn't want to be close to them, and so he gestured at him to come over. But Taehyung just dropped his eyes to stare at his worn boots instead. "Tae?"

"I...uh..." The boy muttered something under his breath that he didn't catch and he scuffed his boot on the linoleum tile. For a few seconds the wing went deathly silent and then he cleared his throat. "Can I talk to Jimin alone...please?"

"...Of course," Seokjin said as he shifted to look over them all. "Of course you can Tae. We'll just step outside for a moment, right?" Hoseok and Jungkook got off the bottom of the bed, the youngest boy still wiping at his cheeks with the heel of his hand, and Namjoon followed along after them. But Yoongi stayed in the chair as he looked over at the boy, seemingly not wanting to move until their eldest friend reached down to grab his upper arm. Yoongi let him drag him to his feet begrudgingly and then they also left the room.

Taehyung stayed in the doorway for a few more seconds and Jimin wondered if he was ever going to move or whether they would talk across the distance instead. But then he let his breath out in a wheezy sigh and took enough steps to stand at the bottom of his bed. The boy studied the sight of his legs under the covers instead of looking at him and Jimin wished that there was something he could say to break the silence and yet he seemed incapable of doing so. His mouth felt dry and he let his gaze move over to a pitcher of water left on a side table beside the bed.

"Tae, could you pour me a glass of water? I wouldn't ask but right now I can't move and-" Taehyung moved before he even finished speaking, grabbing the pitcher and the glass just beside it. He poured with a hand that wasn't at all steady and he was scared that he might just drop it but he didn't, placing it back down so that the bottom made a soft thumping sound on the wood. He held it out for him and Jimin accepted it. When their fingers brushed together Taehyung pulled his hand back as if the contact burnt him.

"Jimin..." he said in a low voice, "what happened was-"

"An accident," he finished as he held the glass up to his lips. Taehyung dragged his eyes up from his boots to stare at him, mouth open in dumb shock. "I...well I don't remember all of the details but Yoongi told me. It was in an accident, that was what happened right?"

"...Yeah, I mean no, I mean..." The boy scrunched his face up and took a deep inhale of breath. "I didn't mean to hit you. I swear I didn't."

"I know you didn't," Jimin said before taking a slight sip of water. It was cold on his tongue and it felt like a sponge in his mouth, absorbing it all instantly so he didn't even swallow. "Why did you wanna talk to me alone?"

"'Cos..." Taehyung paused, "'cos I wanted to apologise to you for everything."

"You don't have to apologise for an accident Tae."

"But I do," his friend said as he shook his head, hood slipping down slightly from the movement, "I do have to apologise Jimin for every fucking thing. For the stupid nicknames and the pushing around, for talking to you disrespectfully all of the fucking time, for being a... being a bully."

"I don't think you bully me," Jimin said after a few more quick sips, relishing the water going down his dry throat this time. "I think that you're just messing around and you take it a little too far sometimes but you don't mean to."

"I do, I do take it far 'cos I get carried away and I don't think. I just carry on fucking around 'cos I just wanna make everyone laugh and I didn't even stop to think about you Jimin. You always took my shit and a part of me...a part of me kinda felt like that meant we were close. Like real close. You're like a brother to me 'cos you put up with me at my worst and you never put me in my fucking place like you should, y'know?" Jimin nodded slowly at this. "So I feel that I can trust you."

"But I fucked up that night."

"No, no you didn't."

"I did, you trusted me and I blurted it out and-"

"No, I fucked up Jimin. It was me, it's always me. You didn't fuck up by telling everyone, I fucked up for making the mistake in the first place, OK? You didn't fuck up." Taehyung reached up to pull his hood down so that he could tug at his hair roughly. "I didn't mean that shit, I was drunk and scared and I said some disgusting shit to you...to everyone."

"I understand," Jimin said, "you were upset. People do things like that when they're upset."

"You shouldn't understand, not after everything. Not when you keep getting hurt 'cos of me. Not when I treat you like shit. I need to apologise."

"Tae, you don't need to-"

But Taehyung shifted to get on his knees anyway, ignoring him even when he asked him not to. He placed his palms on the linoleum and Jimin tried to brush this off but he wasn't listening. When he lowered his head to the floor he was nearly begging him to not do this but Taehyung just pressed his forehead onto the linoleum and he apologised in a voice that sounded seconds away from tears. Jimin stared at the back of his head, at his shaking shoulders, and he had to swallow a lump in his throat.

"Tae, get up please."

"I'm so sorry Jimin, I'm so fucking sorry and-" Jimin shifted as far forward as he could and grabbed hold of the back of his hoodie, trying to pull him upright. After a momentary struggle Taehyung jerked upright and latched onto him, hugging him just as tightly and fervently as Jungkook had.

"Tae, it's OK."

"It's not OK, it's nuh-not," Taehyung sobbed against his neck, face pressed against his bandages. "I nearly kuh-killed you. I nearly killed you 'cos I was wuh-wasted and I-" Jimin reached up to place a hand on the back of his head. "Guh-god Jimin, I'm such a fuh-fuck up. Kookie's right I'm a fuh-fucking train wreck."

"No, nu-uh," he said softly as he turned his own face, cheek brushing against his hair, "you're not Tae. You need help, just like the rest of us, yeah?"

"Yuh-yeah."

"Friends help each other," Jimin said as he looked over at the open doorway to see Seokjin and Namjoon both peering inside, likely because they had heard the boy's loud sobbing. "We're gonna help you Tae, like you're gonna help us too."

"I couldn't huh-help anyone."

"Oh yeah? Well, I didn't think I could help or do things right but I did."

"'Cos you're not a duh-dumbass, you're suh-smart and usefuh-ful," Taehyung said, hiccuping as he did.

"I'm only smart and useful when I've got you guys. Without you I'm hopeless. I can't do anything." Jimin gestured for the others to come back into the room as he continued gently playing with the other boy's hair. "Remember what you said all those days back, huh? About us being a family?"

"Uh-huh," Taehyung said as he pulled away from him, rubbing at his eyes roughly, "'cos we are." Jimin knocked his hand aside and wiped at his cheeks with his thumb instead.

"Damn right we're a family," he said with a soft smile, "and a real family is unbreakable."

The plate in front of him was piled with food and though he still felt a little woozy he felt like he could easily devour this and more. Jimin picked up his chopsticks, struggling for a moment as he tried to hold them between his fingers, and he caught Yoongi staring at him as he did. If he wasn't quick then his friend would likely start feeding him. After fiddling with them he felt his grip get nice and secure and he picked up a chunk of kalbi before taking a large bite out of it. As he did he scanned the cafeteria to see that there was just a few women sitting together at a table a few feet away, not including the nurse across the room standing behind the counter like a school lunch lady. The tables were all blue plastic and the benches were connected to them rather than separate, screwed in place with thick bolts like park picnic benches.

His friends were all sitting huddled together even though they could have easily fitted along the length roomily. Opposite him was Namjoon, Seokjin and Hoseok. Yoongi was on his left and Jungkook his right, Taehyung sitting beside the boy. There were a dozen or so plates on the table between them all and he had a niggling feeling that they weren't supposed to be eating all of the food meant for patients but the nurse hadn't stopped them. Perhaps it was pity, or perhaps visitors were entitled to food too, he had no clue. But even if it was pity he didn't care; that pity filled their stomachs for free.

"How's the throat?" Namjoon asked as he lowered his spoon back into his soup bowl, filled with vegetables and maybe tofu from what he could see.

"Itches a little," Jimin replied as he swallowed the kalbi. "Do I have stitches or something?"

"Yup," Jungkook said around a mouthful of bread, "got stitches like a teddy bear."

"But I'm cuter than a teddy bear, right?" he asked jokingly, hearing his friends scoffing at the remark.

"Yeah, way cuter," Jungkook agreed as he reached up to wipe at the corner of his mouth for him, thumb wiping away a blob of sauce that had gotten stuck to his skin.

"I've never had stitches before..." Jimin muttered as he took another bite of meat. More hot food for them to enjoy, even if the price to get it had been rather high. "Will there be a scar?"

"Possibly," Seokjin said as he spooned a mouthful of rice from the mound in the bowl in front of him. "If there is one it'll only be small and faint. Nothing big."

"A scar...that's kinda cool."

"Park Jimin the badass," Taehyung said quietly, prodding at a bowl of noodles, "that's got a ring to it."

"Badass? Better than 'dumbass' any day," Jimin remarked and his friends made noises in agreement around their food. He finished the last mouthful of kalbi and as he did he glanced along the table to see Yoongi picking at a bowl of bibimbap. His expression was hard to read and he found himself studying him intently. After a moment he gently nudged his ribs with his elbow and the man looked up at him, raising his eyebrows as he did. He silently asked him if he was okay with a look and his friend took a moment to respond.

"You really think that scars are cool?" Yoongi asked in a soft voice, looking at the bowl as he did rather than look at him.

"Yeah," Jimin replied with a nod, feeling the bandage rubbing slightly and making it itch again. He would have to resist picking at them even if it was hard because he didn't want to risk pulling them out or infecting them. He briefly thought about the collars they put on dogs and cats after surgery and he had to resist the urge to laugh at the mental images of his friends snapping one on him. "I think they're cool."

"Why?"

"'Cos...scars are your way of saying "hey world, you tried to beat me down but I'm still here," you know? They're kinda like a...defiance."

"I agree," Namjoon said with a nod. "The body can be scarred for many reasons, but regardless of the scars we can keep going. Scars are a sign that you won."

"What if you feel like you lost?" Yoongi asked, unconsciously reaching up to touch at the welts on his inner arm. Jimin dropped his gaze to look at them before glancing over at the others to see that they were all staring at his burns too.

"If you lost you wouldn't be here right now, would you?" Seokjin asked quietly, spoon playing with his rice rather than lift it to his mouth.

"Not all scars are life and death situations," Yoongi countered.

"No, you're right," Namjoon agreed, "but the situation doesn't really matter, does it? What matters is that the scar remains, to show that either you won, or that you're still trying to win. Sometimes winning isn't the important part, it's how you get to that point that is."

"You think we can win?" the other man asked.

"We're going to win," Hoseok said as he tapped his chopsticks on his bowl absentmindedly. "We will, if we work together we can win."

"...You guys are all stupid," Yoongi said with a smirk. For a moment the table went silent and then Jungkook snorted and seconds later they were all laughing. "You're talking like Miss World contestants!"

"I was trying to be deep man," Namjoon complained, "let me have my moment, yeah?"

"You're never not talking deep shit!"

"Hey, I can't help being so smart."

"Yeah, yeah, you say you're smart," Taehyung declared as he pointed a spoon at him, "but really you talk as much shit as I do 'cos y'know we're too fucking stupid to figure it out!"

"Damn," the young man said is disbelief, "my plan's been foiled."

Jimin turned his attentions back to the food in front of him because he felt like there was a hollow hole under his ribs that needed filling. The itchiness on his throat didn't even bother him that much because he was too distracted with the kalbi and noodles, picking at the side dishes before Jungkook could once again annihilate the kimchi. He kept thinking about the possibility of a scar and how strange it would be to look in the mirror and see it right there, a constant reminder of a night that he couldn't even recall right now. It would likely match the slight pink mark still on his elbow and though Yoongi seemed uncertain about it he really didn't mind the thought of it at all. Like Namjoon had said, a scar was a sign of overcoming great adversity and he might just be left with one that would stay with him for life, would ensure that he never forgot about this particular adventure: better than a photograph because he would be able to touch it, run his fingers along the mark as if tracing lines on a map.

"Hey guys," Jimin said suddenly, chasing the few remains of noodles around his bowl. At his voice he felt his friends all looking at him, waiting for him to continue. "Stitches...they cost money don't they?" The question seemed to catch them off guard and they all stared at him. Yet none of them opened their mouth and gave him an explanation, one he greatly felt that he needed.

"...They do," Seokjin said after what felt like a several minute long silence. Jimin thought this over before asking how much and their eldest friend shifted in his seat and looked down at his plate. "That's not important."

"Guys?"

"Jimin," Hoseok said with a wave of his wrist. "Let's just eat and not wo-"

"Guys seriously, how much?"

"All of our cash," Namjoon said softly and Jimin felt his skin going so very cold as he stared at him dumbly. What did his friend just say? All of their cash? All of the money that they had been slaving away for coach tickets to get back home with? It was gone? No, surely he had heard that wrong... "You only needed stitches and a mild anesthetic so that's good, 'cos there's no way we could've afforded transfusions and an extended stay."

"...Shit."

"Look, don't worry about that shit right now," Yoongi said with something close to cautious optimism. "We don't need to worry about the fucking cash. You're safe, that's all that matters, yeah?"

"Yeah but..." Jimin paused as he tried to sort his thoughts out. "But how are we gonna get back to Seoul?"

"Leave that shit to me," Taehyung said as he lifted his glass of water up. "I'll figure out how to get back home with trains, so don't worry OK?"

"...OK," he agreed through numb lips.

"Right, plans," Seokjin got to his feet and started collecting their dishes together. "Jimin, your clothing should be in your room. Get changed up and we'll talk to the nurse and check everything is alright, get any advice about the stitches. Then if it's alright we can leave, so we need to get back to the hostel and get our stuff. Hoseok, the keys? Kookie, the directions?"

"Still got them," Hoseok announced as he pulled the keys free and shook them in the air.

"Directions are in my jeans pocket," the youngest boy added, "just gotta reverse them and we'll get back no problem."

"Good, that helps cut down on chances of trouble," Seokjin said in a relieved voice as he created a near mountain of dishes. "We'll have to-"

"Excuse me?" a female voice sounded from a few feet away and they all shifted to look over at whoever had spoken. It was the nurse from the counter across the room. "This might sound a little personal but..." She paused before quietly finishing. "Are you boys in a little...financial problem right now?" None of them replied to her but a quick glance at their faces likely have her the answer she needed. "Well you see, this hospital isn't that busy and I work in the cafeteria mostly, cleaning up and preparing food and...what I'm trying to say is that there's always a lot of leftover food that needs to be thrown away. Some mornings I toss out entire tables full of food that patients don't eat and it seems such a waste."

Jimin let his eyes wander away from her to look over his friends, seeing that they were all as confused and rapt as he was.

"I could...give you some food for the road if you needed it?"

"How do you know we're going back on the road?" Jungkook asked.

"Your clothing mostly," the nurse said with the softest hints of a smile. "You look a long way from home truthfully."

"Won't you get in trouble for that?" Hoseok asked, a very good question indeed.

"Trouble? Oh no, no one pays attention to the cafeteria. If they did do you think you would have gotten all of that food for free?" They all stared at her dumbly and she laughed. "I'm kidding, the food is free for patients."

"Thank god," Namjoon nearly wheezed.

"I won't get into trouble for it, I told you so much of it is thrown away. Some days shelters come in the evening to collect stuff but mostly it's thrown away. I mean, I understand if you don't want to. It was pretty...forward of me to ask and assume but if you need to take some I can help."

Her words hanged in the air for a moment and Jimin shifted to see what his friends were thinking. Were they glad for the help or were they embarrassed that she had taken one look at them and had known that they were drifters with barely a hundred won to their names? Right now all he was thinking was that they really could do with the help. It saved Taehyung lifting food from convenience stores, especially considering that he was supposed to be fixing his ways now.

"Honestly, neither of us will get in trouble," the nurse said, "and I can also see that you want to avoid that right now."

When he lifted up his clothing the first thing that hit him was the fact that they were clean. No stains on them, blood or the dreadful oil smears on his jeans that never seemed to wash out no matter how much Seokjin had scrubbed at them all those days back in the hostel. They had the scent of detergent still on them, something like lily from what he could detect. One of the nurses must have cleaned them through because they must have been a mess after the accident. So Jimin slipped into his jeans and then grabbed his tee to shrug it on over his head. The movement made the stitches itch again, something annoyingly close to a burn that would start to irritate him soon enough. The material felt soft against his skin and he went to reach for his boots when he caught sight of the folded up bundle of wool on the chair and he stared at it for a moment.

The bundle was oatmeal and he lifted it to see what it was. As he held his arms up it unraveled and he saw that it was a pullover. For a few seconds he couldn't seem to recall what it was and then he remembered it was Yoongi's. Of course it was Yoongi's, his friend had given him it to wear at some point and he just have still had it on when the accident had happened. It looked to have also been cleaned too, the scent of detergent on it rather than the usual faded hints of his aftershave that was buried under that of cigarettes. Before he could stop himself Jimin lifted the pullover up and held it in front of his face. Still nothing more than the detergent. He took a deep inhale as the wool rubbed against skin.

"What're you doing?" Jungkook asked suddenly and Jimin jumped as if the boy had pricked him with a needle. He whirled around to see his friend sitting on the end of the bed he had been using, legs dangling over the high side so that his boots brushed against the linoleum. Hoseok was seated just behind him and Taehyung was sitting on the floor with his back against the side table, legs cocked up so that he could rest his elbows on his knees.

"Nuh... nothing," he said as he lowered it from his face. "What're you doing?"

"Watching you make out with a pullover," Taehyung retorted without missing a beat, the other two cracking up with laughter at the remark.

"I was sniffing it," Jimin corrected, "to check if it was clean."

"Oh yeah?" the youngest boy asked. "Is it?" He nodded vigorously and the boy grinned. "So it's got nothing to do with the fact it's Yoongi's, huh?"

"Nope, nothing to do with that," he said as he knotted it around his waist. After the bad storm a few nights back the weather was right back to scorching hot again.

"Pft, you think we believe that?"

"Don't believe it but it's the truth." Jimin dropped to his knees to get his boots on, slipping them both on before going back to knot them. "Was there a lot of blood?"

"Stop changing the topic!" Hoseok complained and he just looped the laces up and watched his fingers working rather than look at them.

"There must have been a lot of blood for them to clean my clothes..." he just continued, even when he heard the other boys scoffing at him.

"Yoongi probably cleaned them," Jungkook said, "'cos he went a little nuts, you know? He probably did your stitches too." At this joke Jimin couldn't help but laugh. "Oh god Jimin, you should've seen him in the parking lot..."

"He said that he started yelling at the crew to let him in the back of the ambulance. Did he?" The boy nodded vigorously at this. "Why?"

"Because he was worried," Hoseok said before the other two could attempt a wisecrack of any kind, "Yoongi was really worried about you and he acted a little...crazy but it's understandable."

"Did you all start shouting?" he asked, knowing that the answer was no but asking it anyway.

"Start shouting about what?" Yoongi asked as he stepped through the doorway behind him, the two others entering behind him. There was a bag in Namjoon's hand and he could see a few plastic containers inside of it.

"Nothing," Jimin replied a little too brusquely as he finished knotting his boots and got back upright. His friend narrowed his eyes at him before rolling them over to look at the others and the three boys just grinned at him.

"You little assholes talking about me, huh?"

"Talking about how nuts you are," Jungkook agreed as he beamed at him.

"Must be nuts to be friends with you. You ready?" Yoongi looked at him and so he nodded and confirmed that he was so his friend reached over and grabbed his wrist, grip light but firm. "C'mon, let's blow this joint before they ask for more cash." Jimin let him pull him out of the room, sparing a glance over his shoulder as he did to see the boys getting off the bed, noting from the expressions on their faces that they would continue this ribbing next time they were alone.

"What did the nurse say?" Hoseok asked as they walked down the corridor of the B Wing and in the direction of the waiting area.

"She said that the stitches would dissolve in a few days," Seokjin explained. "Jimin should change the bandages once a day and allow a few hours between changing to let his skin breathe, but he shouldn't wear them whilst sleeping. Instead he should wear a light dressing like the one on his cheek to stop him from disturbing the stitches in his sleep. If the area becomes irritated then we should take him to a hospital," he pushed a set of doors open and continued, "but only if the skin is sore and weeping. A little itching and pinkness is to be expected. As for the injury on his cheek, we should just clean them like regular cuts."

"I packed a roll of bandage in my bag," Jungkook said. "We could clean the ones he's got on and reuse them, right? Instead of buying new ones?" Their eldest friend said that it seemed like their best option. "Still got antiseptic but dressings...?"

"I'd offer to steal some but..." Taehyung smirked back at them over his shoulder as they crossed the waiting area.

"Let's not steal just yet," Namjoon agreed.

After a minute or two of following the signs they ended up in the entrance area and Jimin made sure to thank everyone they passed, including the nurses on the desk because it was respectful. His friends even managed to mumble thanks too. When they stepped outside he was certain that Yoongi would let go of his wrist, having led him through the unfamiliar hospital to stop him possibly wandering away, but his friend didn't do so. They all stopped on the curb outside and the youngest boy pulled out a sheet of torn and wrinkled paper before scanning it and glancing up and down the street. Then he started walking and they all just followed after him without question. It seemed Jungkook had taken over Taehyung's role for the day. He had never seen these streets before and he glanced at them with great interest, and judging from his friends' reactions they couldn't really recall walking on them either. In the middle of the night, racing down them in a panic, he wasn't surprised they hadn't paid much attention.

Across from the hospital and wide stretch of road there was a variety of buildings and he couldn't see what they were, rather just study the exteriors and the dancing flags built into the sides, scrawling characters announcing building names. He was pretty certain that one of them was a newspaper office. Directly beside the hospital there was a massive lot packed full with ambulances waiting for dispatch. At some point last night one of those large vehicles had gotten an alert about him, had come rumbling out of the lot to zoom down the streets of the city with blaring sirens. He studied them for a moment, seeing a handful of crew moving around and talking as they no doubt waited for a radio call, and then he looked at the view in front of them. Thin sidewalks that were neat, gutters surprisingly clean, and brick buildings that were more or less free of graffiti. Every now and again there was bus stop markers and the occasional bench for people to sit on, a small tree planted to break up the rows of streetlights. Pretty city that he hadn't seen that much of at all.

It took quite some time to get back to the hostel building, at least near an hour of walking following Jungkook's guidance. He wondered how long it had taken them to get to the hospital last night and when he asked the answer Hoseok gave him was seconds, the boy laughing as he spoke. Yet Jimin didn't mind at all how long it took for the sun was out and the breeze nice and cooling on his skin. If it wasn't for his pesky stitches itching then he would have skipped down the street. The few people that they passed glanced at him rather openly, no doubt unable to stop themselves at the sight of the bandages on his throat, the dressing stuck on the lower half of his face. It didn't bother him at all that they did, even if they all made assumptions in their heads about how he had gotten hurt; eyeing the worn clothing and exhausted expressions on all of their faces, but he had a feeling that it irritated Yoongi quite a bit. Every time someone looked, heads swiveling and eyes wide, he felt his fingers tightening around his wrist in response. Was his friend wondering about their assumptions too?

When they got back to the building the first thing that happened was Seokjin went off to talk to whoever was on the check-in desk, leaving them to go into the rooms and hastily pack up. Jimin wanted to pack his own bag but the boys refused to let him, instead allowing him to brush his teeth in the bathroom first whilst they raced around picking up cast-off clothes. He studied his face in the mirror over the sink to see that the dressing on his cheek had a slight stain on it, likely because the cuts had bled through the soft material. He didn't know what his skin looked like underneath and he was a little scared that it might look a lot worse than the wound in his throat. After cleaning up he went into the other section to see that his backpack was ready, so he shoved his toiletries inside and then shrugged it onto his shoulder. Then he wandered out of the room to check on his other friends.

"Is everything OK?" he asked as he pushed the door open and glanced inside. He saw Namjoon finishing up packing his holdall and Seokjin tidying up mess from the floor. Yoongi was presumably in the bathroom.

"Yes," their eldest friend said, "everything is fine."

"No problems with the rooms?" Seokjin shook his head as he zipped up the bag and glanced at him. "That's good."

"Are you OK?" his other friend asked and Jimin confirmed that he was with a nod. "Then that's good too."

"Back on the fucking road," Yoongi muttered wearily as he stepped back into the room, rubbing at his eyelids roughly. "Just our luck, huh?"

"You got me," he said with a grin, "and I'm real lucky, right?"

"Yeah, that's true." His friend moved over to grab his own holdall, shrugging it up into his shoulder. His jacket was knotted around his waist just like the pullover was around his. "What'd we do without you Badass?"

"Badass? So it's legit now? That's my-"

"Um, excuse me?" Jimin tuned to look over his shoulder at the unfamiliar female voice to see a young woman standing in the open doorway. It took him a moment to recall that she was the lady from the check-in and then she was looking over them all in turn. "I was just checking to see that everything is alright."

"Thank you," Namjoon said with a smile, "everything's alright now. Had a little trouble but it's been resolved." The woman's eyes shifted to look at him and Jimin saw her looking at the dressing and bandages in turn. He dropped his eyes and saw something in her hand, a little white rectangle that looked like an envelope.

"I prayed all night that it would all turn out good," she said with a soft smile, "and I see that it has. I...well, I visited my church this morning like I always do on Saturdays." Jimin furrowed his brow at this before realising that it was indeed a Saturday. "And I spoke to my fellow churchgoers about what happened and...we all prayed together. Our pastor came up with an idea about a donation pool and-"

"Donation pool?" Yoongi asked in confusion.

"Yes, a donation pool," she said before holding her hand out at Jimin, envelope between her fingers.

"Oh we couldn't..." Seokjin paused before letting out a nervous laugh. "We couldn't accept that ma'am it wouldn't be right."

"Please," she said as she lightly shook the envelope. "You're just kids, kids in a troubled situation and you need to get back home."

"But we caused so much trouble," Namjoon said in a quiet voice. "For you, for the hostel. We don't deserve it and-"

The woman stepped forward and reached down to take Jimin's hands, placing the envelope in them as she did. He could only stare at her dumbly.

"Just get back home safe, OK?" she said before leaving the room. For a moment they all looked at the space she had been occupying and then Namjoon scoffed.

"Hey Yoongi, remember when you said strangers don't help kids out?" Jimin looked at the envelope before turning it over his hands.

"Fuck you Kim Namjoon."