Jungkook leaned against the dry cleaner's counter, his elbow on its surface, chin in his palm and arm sitting close to his head's support. His right hand, the hand he was leaning on, had bandages wrapped around his knuckles. He had hit that jerk a week prior way harder than he had intended and wound up with a bruise that had bled for a minute or two. 

He hated to admit that he knew how to deal with those kinds of injuries all too well. Many a time had those white cloth bandages been wrapped around his hands. Jungkook was what you could call a defender. He had many jobs but that was the only one he ever took pride in. Defending those who were on the receiving end of pain. He couldn't stand seeing someone, anyone, cower beneath another person's fist, so afraid that they couldn't fight back, defend themselves. So, Jungkook took on their role. He fought for them. It didn't matter how many black eyes he received or bruises formed, they were the result of him having the courage to stand up for someone who couldn't do it alone. 

Jungkook narrowed his eyes to say "what're you looking at" at a man who was looking at the cotton bandages. The man shrugged and returned to watching his laundry. Jungkook had to work at the junkiest laundromat in all of Seoul. The sign outside flashed a blue and red 'Open!' except only the O and E were lit up. The posters that were carelessly pasted to the window read 'Self Serve!', 'Short Wait!', and 'Perfect Clean!'. Self serve meant you put your clothes in and at some point had to ask the register attendant, whom you also payed instead of the machine, for help because the dryer or washer, sometimes even both, were acting up. Short waits turned into two hours as the dryers struggled to dry. Jungkook had once washed his clothes there and went home with them still stained. Yet, people still came to clean their clothes there. Shifty people too, if you were to ask him. He one time had to advise a man in a hood that if he were going to wash an item covered in blood stains to wash the item with his colored clothes. 

Jungkook's eyes lit up as he saw his co-worker, Jaebum, open the business' door. Jungkook scrambled to grab his jacket and slide it on while tossing the register and door keys to the older. Jaebum didn't have time to say anything or greet him as the younger was already out the door. 

He hadn't visited Got Jams? Café since the incident a week ago. He'd been too upset to. He knew if he went in there and didn't see Yoongi or saw that group, the staff would have have an angered Jungkook on their hands. He didn't get angry often, unless he was in defender mode, but when he did, you better pray that he knows better than to be around other people. 

He didn't know why the thought of Yoongi getting hurt upset him so much. He'd seen so many people get hurt and stopped so many people from seeing the same outcome and had never once felt this way. Something about the mint haired was different from anyone Jungkook had ever fought for. He had taken the time to sit and speak with the younger despite his lips being sealed through most of their conversation. He could see the same in the pink haired co-owner who seemed to be only capable of stuttering to Jungkook. They were trying to break that cage that Jungkook had kept himself in for so long while breaking their own too. They all seemed to have something about them that made them different. Something Jungkook couldn't quite pinpoint yet. 

He had to admit, their trying wasn't something he'd warmed up to yet. He'd always been told that people would try and get close to him to use him. That no one really wanted to be his friend. That the only reason anyone would want to be friends with his worthless husk of a body was to use him. That message was one that had always been with him. It had influenced him throughout his many years of life and torn him apart, though he didn't know that last little bit. If anything were to be true, it would be the words of the people who were supposed to be closest to him. Those words applied to everyone, even Yoongi and Namjoon, who Jungkook felt an unfamiliar safety around. 

He shook his head, this was crazy. He felt nothing of the sort. He wasn't supposed to get close. He was supposed to stay away. Far away. So they won't get hurt too. So he won't get hurt. He couldn't get close. He mustn't get close. That's just how it should be. Someone such as himself shouldn't be around as good of people as Yoongi and Namjoon.  

Jungkook scanned the area around him, wanting to detach from his thoughts. It was a cloudy day with a light rain falling down onto the sidewalks and streets. Despite only being three in the afternoon, it was quite dark out, presumably from the clouds. The puddles that were forming swooped up all the dirt and cigarette butts, along with the occasional beer can, that littered the sidewalk. Graffiti danced across the building's exteriors despite all the signs pleading for no vandalism. The occasional person passed, head down, their identity hidden. Most of the buildings in the area were abandoned, all the better for the local gangs and drug dealers. Empty lots infested with overgrown weeds and broken down; rotting cars and crates. The sidewalks were slightly cracked from poor treatment and overuse. The roads were in the same condition and it wasn't like the city was considering repaving them either. 

Jungkook stuck his hands in his coat's pocket after raising his hood up over his head. He had to admit that Seoul had some shady sections. He worked and lived in them mostly. If you were to ask him, he'd say it was because of his money situation. He was a young eighteen year old, just left his family home and had dropped out of high school Junior year, his parents choice, not his. 

Not many jobs had wanted him, except for the ones he had found. An ice cream scooper at Mooscream, a small ice cream joint beneath a highway with a second floor that Jungkook swears has an opioid den or sex ring running in it. A cashier at Get Er' Clean, that great laundromat with a scenic view of the parking garage across the street where all the drug deals go down. Don't forget being a shelver at 24/7 BOOKS! where the bathroom always smells like something decomposing and you never see anyone's face other than the employees. 

His apartment was as good as it could get. Jungkook didn't mind the smell or the stains all over the walls that looked oddly like blood. Anything was better than home and he always tried to look on the bright side of things, it had been an effective mood booster during those late nights at home and when those angry eyes refused to look away in the early hours of the morning. 

His hood slid down as he entered the light pink café, a rush of coffee scented air smacking him upside the head. He had missed that smell. It was a comforting smell. It smelled like his childhood best friend's home. They'd always allow him in when things were too rough. They'd invite him in and sort things out. The boy's Mother would prepare hot chocolate for the two children and hot coffee for herself, no matter the season. They'd talk and talk and Jungkook would feel comfortable right up until the moment he had to return home. It had been fine until he was forced to leave him behind and never see him, or anyone really, ever again. One of his new rules.

"Iced Americano, please," Jungkook said to the young lady at the register. 

She nodded and read out the amount he owed before he payed and took a seat at his usual table.

Yoongi wasn't with the other waiters. He had to be in the storage room. It was the place that the younger had become accustomed to seeing the mint haired leave from. Jungkook was sure that the older had never missed a day of work unless he had to. What if something really did happen? Calm down, he's just a door away. He'll be here with your Iced Americano any minute. Just breathe. 

The cluster of wait staff looked over at him before going back to their mumbling. They only ever mumbled like that before Yoongi started serving him. They were trying to decide who should serve him since Yoongi wasn't there. That was the only logical explanation. Those damn men had hurt one of the only people who wanted to be around him despite what was said and how he acted. They'd hurt him so bad that he couldn't come to work. Jungkook clenched his fists tightly. If he ever saw those men again, he knew exactly what he was going to do. He was going to follow through with the threat he'd made when they went head to head. No holding back.

"Hey," A sudden voice wrenched him from his thoughts, his hopes high that it was Yoongi. No luck, Namjoon, not to say that he wasn't good.

"Hi," Jungkook mumbled.

"Here's your Iced Americano," Namjoon set the cup on the table before seating himself across from the younger. "I know we haven't talked all that much, but I'd really like to change that. I want to be friends and I don't mind you being reserved at first, I would be too. I-I mean, I'm not that social of a person as you can tell from the one time I tried to talk to you. I usually get so nervous that I ramble-"

"I'd like that."

"You would?" Namjoon looked at him with wide eyes.

Jungkook nodded.

"That was way easier than I thought it would be. I had a whole plan. Can you believe that? A whole plan!"

Jungkook laughed.

Namjoon smiled, "I really want to thank you. For what you did a couple days ago. Those guys haven't come in since and Yoongi's better off than he would have been if you hadn't intervened. So, thank you. Thank you from the both of us," Namjoon fiddled with his fingers. "Yoongi's not here to thank you personally, as you can see. He's at home, resting, I hope. I took him to the hospital after the whole incident. He wasn't too greatly injured. Nothing too serious. A cut or two and a concussion from where his head hit the table, but other than that, he was all good."

"I'm glad," Jungkook let out a breath of relief despite still being upset that the mint haired even suffered a concussion. 

"He really would like to thank you in person." 

"I'm sure he would, but he should rest."

"My thoughts exactly," Namjoon bit his lip, "Are you free this afternoon?"

"I should be."

"How... How do you feel about a trip to Yoongi's apartment?"

Word Count: 1900

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From here on out, the storyline no longer repeats each chapter. It will be different. It's getting harder to write this story which is slightly upsetting. Anyways, I got my school issued Chromebook yesterday so my ability to write has gone up.
I've recently gotten into a girl group called Pink Fantasy. They're nine members however Yubin is on hiatus. They have a hidden member, Daewang, who wears a rabbit mask. They're a great group so I hope you'll consider stanning them!

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and I'll see you next week!