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chap 17 - Follow the Signs

Hoseok shoved the folded tee into his backpack, pushing it in deep down to try and leave some room for the last few items. Across the room the rest of his friends were hastily preparing their bags for tomorrow, for when they set out to the next city more or less the moment the sun appeared on the horizon. Despite everything that had happened he could sense that Jungkook was almost ecstatic at the thought of finally getting to leave and walk about. He had spent the afternoon hours walking around the room, not exactly pacing but seemingly needing to burn his energy somehow. How the boy was able to do that after his accident with the car was near a miracle in his opinion and he remembered that Seokjin had joked about him being lucky. Well, wasn't that the truth? Hoseok felt terrible because he hadn't downed a palmful of pills and the youngest boy had been ploughed by a car and was practically doing somersaults. The irony was not lost on him and he felt a little pathetic.

"If you don't think you can leave," Yoongi said as he pulled his cigarette free, "then just tell us now Kookie. We won't be pissed, I promise." He was seated on his packed holdall, legs cocked in front of him as he slouched forward and tapped ash on the carpet.

"Hey, I can walk just fine," Jungkook said with a grin as he zipped his backpack up. "I'll probably end up carrying you."

"Fine? Shit, you guys see his ribs, huh? Show 'em." And so the boy grabbed the bottom of his tee and lifted the material to flash his stomach and lower ribs. The sight it revealed was a mixture of mottled and hideous bruises all over his skin: purples and blues and even a little redness. Hoseok felt himself wincing as he shoved another tee into the backpack and he heard gasps and muttered noises from his other friends. "He's got a bruise the shape of the European continent on his fucking ribs and he's 'fine'." Yoongi smirked as he shoved the stick back into his mouth. "This kid, I swear."

"Besides, I'll be right back in a hostel room as soon as we enter the next city," Jungkook said as he lifted his bag and dropped it on the floor beside the bed, grimacing only slightly as he worked his sore muscles. "At least I'm not stuck on my ass all day."

"Wish I was," Yoongi muttered under his breath, making them all laugh as he did.

"Do you think there'll be a mechanics in the next city?" Jimin asked from his position on the floor, legs folded up in front of him and his elbows resting on them.

"Yeah Dumbass, I'm pretty sure they'll be a mechanics," Taehyung said with a smirk as he emerged from the bathroom, hair still damp from his shower earlier.

"You know what I mean," the boy said with an eye roll. "One that'll hire me."

Hoseok hadn't been out on the streets searching for work but by all accounts it was pretty damn hard to find in this city. Jungkook had failed on his first day but the others had not, yet today their options had dried up considerably. Yoongi had decided to not pursue the pizza delivery job for fear of getting arrested and had only managed to secure a single shift of washing dishes in the late evening after wandering all day. Namjoon's day long shift in a gas station filling cars up and working the tills once or twice had brought in a paltry wage that was almost laughable considering the hours he had worked yesterday, and today he had already been beaten to the mark by another desperate worker, meaning that he had walked the streets and found nothing; coming back empty-handed and tired. Jimin had secured the car washing and mechanic job and it seemed that he might just have been able to keep it for quite some time, if not permanently, but he couldn't raise all of the cash they needed on his own and therefore they needed to move somewhere with better opportunities.

And Taehyung...he didn't even know what Taehyung was up to.

Hoseok still couldn't believe what the boy had done last night. It wasn't just the fact that he had gotten wasted on the streets of this strange city alone, staggering around drunk and vulnerable and confused, but also what had happened upon him returning to the hostel room with Namjoon in tow. Of course he had needed their friend to support him because he had barely been able to walk and he had climbed into the bed and had woken him up, the mattress shifting and creaking rather loudly. Hoseok had been disorientated for a few seconds but when he had detected the strong and unmistakable scent of vodka he had known that it was Taehyung climbing in beside him. He had lain there and had waited to see if the boy would have said anything but he hadn't, he had just stayed silent...or at least until the others had fallen asleep. It had taken some time for Yoongi to finally settle down on the settee but the work hours had drained him enough to actually allow him to sleep for once. Then had came the drunken mumbling and touching.