#65 - "Don't worry; It hurts a little less each time."

HopeKook

Word Count: 458

It wasn’t the first nor the last time Jungkook had found him there, sitting alone in the dark emitting his own dark aura that it transformed the entire room into a much colder and desolate place than one's bedroom should be. Hoseok was sitting on the edge of his bed, just staring straight ahead, eyes boring a hole into the wall in front of him. “Hyung, stop brooding.” It was hard for Jungkook to see his friend and brother in such a desperate state to be loved. He felt it was obvious to anyone who stepped into the man’s room and saw him. It wasn’t something that the younger knew much about but he knew enough to know that when Hoseok brooded it didn’t do anyone any good. Especially not the elder. No, it only drove him into a darker place that could get really scary really fast. Just thinking about it made Jungkook shiver and shake his head erasing the memories of one night he never wanted to remember nor let happen again. He had never see Hoseok so small and fragile before.

The elder didn’t even acknowledge the other's words let alone his presence as the mattress dipped under Jungkook’s weight as he sat right next to his hyung. Picking up Hoseok’s hand, he laid it on his lap and entwined their fingers. It was the only thing the younger could do.
 

Become Hoseok’s anchor.

Jungkook would never know just how much it truly meant to Hoseok to be that, to do that, but it did. It was too easy for him to slip into that dark void he often struggled to stay away from because he felt his emotions on such a deep level. No one would know if they met him, he had such a happy go lucky, easily excitable exterior that it didn’t cross anyone's mind but Jungkook knew. He saw it on various occasions and wish that the elder wouldn’t hide behind his smile. It wasn’t a very good defense mechanism.

“... It hurts, Jungkook-ah...He…”

The words were barely above a whisper but the younger heard them clearly enough. Squeezing Hoseok’s hand he nodded before laying his head on his shoulder.

“Don’t worry; It hurts a little less each time.”

Hoseok let out a slightly comfortable and overly hopeful sigh.

The two boys were in a world of their own. One trying not to slip away, clinging to his anchor he knew he couldn’t lose. The other gripping desperately to never let one he cared about drift away. As much as both boys were being haunted by the cause of this darkness, they didn’t notice it watching them with bated breath and finally slipping away with it’s own darkness clouding around itself.