Five year old Yoongi was sitting on his bedroom floor playing with his building blocks when he heard a loud a crash and screams coming from outside. He went over to his chair and clambered onto it so that he could look out of the window. He could hear the loud voices of his neighbours arguing yet again. He frowned as he listened to the bad words that his mother had threatened him to never repeat get tossed back and forth between the two adults. He could just make them out through the kitchen window. He stood up on his tiptoes as something caught his eye.

He saw the neighbour’s daughter hiding behind the trash bins, her hands clamped firmly over her ears, her eyes screwed shut as she tried to block out the loud screaming from inside her home. Yoongi jumped off of his chair and headed downstairs. His mother was busy ironing in the living room as he sneaked by. He knew she didn’t like him going outside when the neighbours were arguing. He slipped out of the back door and made his way to the fence. He peeked through and saw the little girl sniffling quietly.

He squeezed through a gap in the fence and went up to her. He looked down at her, feeling sorry for her. His parents didn’t often argue, and when they did, it was nothing compared to how her parents argued. He crouched down in front of her and lightly tapped her arm. She flinched away from the sudden contact, her round eyes looking at him in shock. “What are you doing here?” she asked as she wiped away her tears. Yoongi took her hand and pulled her to her feet. “Follow me.” He said as he pulled her through the hole in the fence and into his garden.

He led her to the treehouse his father had built for him last summer. He quickly scrambled up the ladder, with her following a little more hesitantly. His mother had allowed him to bring up blankets and other things from their home to make his treehouse more comfortable. Yoongi watched the girl as she sat quietly in the corner, flinching when the sound of shattering glass sounded from her home. “This is my treehouse.” He said catching her attention. “Dad says it’s a place where I can make the rules. I had a rule that no girls could come up here. Not even my mum. But you can come up here whenever you want.”

She smiled at him, her round cheeks tinted with pink. “Really? I can come here whenever I want?” she asked. Yoongi nodded as he rummaged through a large box. “Yup. And look at this. I learned this from a TV show.” He said as he pulled a torch out from the box. “If I’m not here you can point this at my window.” He said as he pointed at his bedroom window. “And I’ll come see you, no matter what.” He said as he handed her the torch.

Nineteen year old Yoongi was sitting in that same bedroom. The décor had changed somewhat from Pororo posters to posters of his favourite rappers and photographs of the places he wished to travel to, but one thing hadn’t changed. He saw the familiar flashing light coming from his treehouse. He grinned as he picked up his phone and flashed it back to let her know he was on his way.

He went downstairs quietly, not wanting to wake up his parents. He grabbed a few things from the kitchen and slipped out of the back door before making his way to the treehouse. He climbed up and smiled at his best friend as she smiled at him from underneath her favourite Iron Man blanket that she had brought to the treehouse many years before. “Can’t sleep?” he asked noting the late hour. She shook her head. “Nope, you?” she asked as he sat beside her, pulling the blanket over his legs. “Nah.” He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close as she went through the snacks he had brought with him.

She opened a bar of chocolate and took a bite before offering it to Yoongi. He took a bite as well as she snuggled in closer to his side. He didn’t need to ask her why she was out there at two in the morning. It had become her habit to seek refuge in his treehouse whenever her parents fought. He had heard them arguing earlier that night and knew that she would be waiting for him. That’s why, even though he was exhausted from staying up too late the night before, he had stayed up. Knowing that she would need him.

His eyes felt heavy as he let his head rest on top of hers, his grip around her shoulder tightening subconsciously. His eyebrows furrowed when she wouldn’t sit still. “Stop fidgeting.” He mumbled into her hair. “Sorry.” She mumbled as she draped her arm over his lap as sleep claimed them both.