Cherub|Vminkook

4

Jungkook sat, trembling and sniffling on the rickety bed. Trying his best to stay quiet and still while hiccups of unsteady breath shook his body.

"I'm Jimin, Park Jimin, just in case you forgot."

Jungkook allowed his eyes to focus on the pink haired boy kneeled in front of him, dabbing gently at his face with a wet paper towel. The name sounded familiar, he had heard it before, except it had been lost. Somewhere deep in the crevices of his damaged mind.

"And you're Jungkook right?"

Jungkook nodded, quick and curt, and dug his fingers into the edge of the mattress. The same mattress he was sat on when they brought him back the other night.

"How old are you again?" Jimin moved the wet towel to Jungkook's eye and he couldn't help but flinch.

"Sixteen." The words left a metallic taste on his tongue. But he knew realistically it was simply the blood from his lip. Right?

Jimin's hand seemed to pause, as if he was processing the words, before moving to wipe at his lip once again. Leaving behind a dull sting. Jungkook had a good idea what kind of thoughts were running through Jimin's mind. Could tell by the way the atmosphere became heavier and Jimin's teeth chewed nervously at his lip.

'He's so young'

'Why is he so sad?'

'Does he have parents?'

'Will he try to kill himself again?'

'How many times has he tried to kill himself already?'

Jimin stood suddenly and Jungkook flinched. His shoulders hunched forward, his feet jumped off the floor, and his heart thumped against his ribs. Waiting and anticipating something that rationally he knew wouldn't happen. Maybe somewhere else, but not here.

"Would you like some food or water?" Jimin asked from the small kitchenette as he wet another paper towel.

"No...no thank you," Jungkook said softly. Despite the dry, metallic taste clinging to his tongue. "Actually...I think..I think I should go."

"Oh." Jimin came back and kneeled once again at Jungkook's feet. "Are you sure?"

For a moment Jungkook allowed their eyes to lock. Allowed himself to be vulnerable, even if it was just for a second. To communicate with his sorrowful gaze that no, he wasn't sure. That no, he didn't want to leave this stranger's surprisingly safe home and return to his own. His own prison, his own personal slice of hell. In that split second of eye contact Jungkook prayed that this stranger, that Jimin, understood.

"Well, I'll walk you home just to be safe."

Of course, he did not. Jungkook's heart sank to the pit of his stomach and tears burned from behind his eyes. "Okay," he said around the sharp lump forming in his throat. "If it's not too much trouble."

Jimin shook his head and stood, the wet paper towel forgotten on the bed. "It's not, I'd like to know you made it home in one piece."

Jungkook almost laughed at his choice of words, nearly let slip a light airy chuckle from his bloody lips. Because he was anything but whole.

"So I'm assuming you live near by?"

Jungkook nodded and pushed himself off the bed, leaving him standing face to face with Jimin. The pink haired boy was maybe an inch taller than him, probably two, and a part of him wondered how old he was. He wanted to ask, to be normal for once and make small talk, but his tongue sat heavy and dry in his mouth. Blocking any words from leaving his already tightly sealed lips.

"So-"Jimin took a step back and smiled softly, as if to ease the sudden tension forming in the air-"where do you live?"

"Here," Jungkook murmured. "I live on the first floor."

"Oh." Jimin's eyes widened and his smile became more prominent. "What a coincidence."

Jungkook nodded, it was a coincidence, a very unfortunate one at that.

Jimin opened the front door and stepped to the side, a soft smile still gracing his lips. Jungkook wanted to return the gesture, offer back the kindness Jimin was giving, but his lips remained pulled down with the weight of his sadness. Jungkook stepped past Jimin and into the hallway, the same hall he had ran down in a rush of panic. They had probably watched him, maybe even laughed at him for being such a freak, or maybe they didn't care at all. Simply closed and locked their door, grateful that the freak was gone.

"So-"

Jungkook jumped at the voice and stared at Jimin, who's brows were furrowed with concern, or disgust.

Jimin's expression softened and that same, kind smile spread over his lips. "So the first floor, yeah?"

Nodding slowly, Jungkook started walking towards the elevator with Jimin close by his side, almost too close. They stopped at the metal doors where Jungkook moved to press the call button, except Jimin beat him to it, offering him a soft giggle as well. It was an oddly comforting sound, something Jungkook has never heard in his lifetime.

The elevator dinged, the doors slid open, and they both stepped forward. Jimin scanned the panel of buttons before his finger settled on the number "1". The elevator whirred to life, along with Jungkook's heart, and he gripped the metal bar lining the walls. It was as if the elevator was descending into hell, faster and faster but never fast enough to kill him. Just fast enough to break his legs. Forcing him to crawl his way through life, dragging his body like the deadweight it was.

"I never liked elevators," Jimin said. "Always feel like they're going to breakdown and trap me."

Jungkook gripped the metal bar harder as he watched the numbers above the door. Dropping faster and faster until they seemed to blur together. He wouldn't mind if the elevator suddenly stopped and trapped them, he wouldn't mind that at all.

"Jungkook?"

Jungkook blinked, a tear slid down his cheek, and he realized the metal doors were open. With Jimin standing between them, one arm keeping them open and the same concern drawing his brows together.

"Are you okay kid?" Jimin questioned. "You sure you don't want to go to the hospital?"

Jungkook wiped at the oncoming tears and stepped out of the elevator, nearly knocking Jimin out of the way.

"No-" he shook his head and took slow, deep breaths-"I'm...I'm fine."

He really wasn't, but Jimin doesn't need to know that. He's just a stranger, a very nice and weirdly concerned stranger.

"Alright, that's okay." Jimin looked around the hall and Jungkook knew he wanted to get away from him.

Needed to get away from him, the freak.

"My apartment is right here, number thirteen," Jungkook said, finally able to catch his breath.

Jimin nodded and stared at the apartment door. "Okay...well our room is number 2013, so just knock if you need anything Jungkook."

The words caught Jungkook off guard and he found himself enamored by the pink haired boy. He couldn't mean that, nobody would want the messed up kid coming back to their apartment. Burdening them with his problems when they had their own lives that were far more important.

Suddenly Jimin smiled and reached across the space Jungkook had created to pat the younger's arm.

"I'm serious kid, come to us if you ever need anything."

Jungkook flinched at the touch but refrained from pulling away. Instead he nodded, mumbling a soft "okay". Even though he knew it was a lie, he could never burden these kind strangers with his issues.

"Okay, see you around Jungkookie." Jimin skipped back to the elevator and waved like an excited child until the doors slid shit.

Leaving Jungkook alone, standing at the gates of hell itself while the nickname Jimin had called him repeated in his head.