thick as thieves || bts x mamamoo

thirty three;

It's quiet on the main deck, an unspeakable tension suffocating everyone that's working to clean up the aftermath of their bittersweet victory over the naval taskforce. The typically unnoticeable sound of the ocean waves splashing up against the hull of their ship is louder than it's ever been, almost as though the world was mocking them in their current circumstance.

"Jungkook-ah, you don't have to do that," Yoongi mumbles to the younger as he wipes the sweat off his own forehead with the back of his hand. He stretches, squinting when he accidentally briefly stares up at the glaring sun while tilting his head back to relieve the cramp in his neck.

Jungkook's hunched shoulders stiffen at his words, the boy's grip tightening around the mopstick in his hands almost defensively. His gaze is guarded and vulnerable as he looks over to the older with wide eyes. "W-What? I'm fine, hyung."

"You're not," Yoongi doesn't beat around the bush, his tone clipped. "You have a sensitive nose and you've been sniffling to yourself this entire time. There are other things you can do around here, stop wiping blood off the floor."

"Seokjin hyung wouldn't want it to stain," Jungkook protests weakly, what's left of his facade crumbling to pieces at the pointed look Yoongi sends him. Judging from the tinge of redness to the younger's eyes, Yoongi would guess that the sharp metallic scent of blood that pervaded the entire area they were standing in wasn't the only reason he had caught the boy sniffling earlier on. "It... the smell is a lot stronger than I thought. And a lot worse."

"Just lean the mop against the railing over there, someone else will do it later," Yoongi doesn't miss the way the boy's expression falls at his curt reply, sharp eyes catching the way Jungkook's gaze lingers just a few seconds too long on Yoongi's face when he thinks the older isn't looking at him anymore.

Though the scar healed over long ago, Yoongi would often catch the gunner staring at where his stitches used to be and chewing on his bottom lip in guilt like he was right now. He knows that memory surely still haunts Jungkook; after all, he was barely in his teens when it happened. He also knows that Jungkook often worries that Yoongi doesn't trust him because of that very incident, when it's the exact opposite. If he had the option to travel back in time to that very moment, Yoongi wouldn't so much as hesitate to take that blow for Jungkook all over again. He just... he wasn't a sparkling conversationalist. There had never been a good time to sit the maknae down and tell him to let bygones be bygones.

Reassure him, a voice that annoyingly enough sounded like Seokjin rang through his mind. If you don't know what to say, then show him.

Yoongi presses his lips tightly together and exhales deeply, before reaching his hand out to awkwardly pat Jungkook on the shoulder. He cracks a bland smile in an attempt to look a bit more warm in his approach. "You did good, Jungkook. Honestly. Seokjin hyung needs someone to help him haul all the weapons to the armory. Let's get all the clutter out of the way before we try and wipe down the floor, alright?"

Jungkook seems to get his message despite the poor delivery in its entirety and nods in understanding. He sets his mop against the railing and starts to make his way across the main deck over to where the eldest of their crew is gathering all the discarded weapons from the defeated naval officers. He's only taken several steps before he pauses and turns back around. "Yoongi hyung?"

"Hmm?"

Jungkook scuffs the bottom of his boots against the wooden floorboards of their ship, hands clasped nervously behind his back. "Do... do you think we'll find them? Are Yongsun noona and Byul noona going to be okay?"

Yoongi blinks in surprise. While it's natural for Jungkook to seek guidance and ask questions, he almost always exclusively goes to Seokjin or Hoseok, especially when it comes to emotional support. But perhaps that's why he chose to come to Yoongi instead this time. Because he knows his captain won't sugarcoat anything, won't say whatever it takes to comfort or put the boy back at ease. He wants the truth, because it pertains to people he's grown to care for. He desperately wants to do anything he can to help a situation that's out of his control, even if it means sacrificing his sensitive nose to clean dried up blood off the ship floors.