"What do you mean he just fainted!?" Seokjin yelled at the younger two, looking a little too fierce. 

The two boys looked up with a start at the elder's booming voice and stumbled back a little to create some space between them. Jimin's hand held tightly onto to Taehyung's as said boy slid behind his back, trying his hardest to appear smaller than he already was.

Seokjin huffed a frustrated sigh and ruffled his hair, in a manner to calm himself, before he spoke. "What happened to him? He couldn't have just fainted for no reason." Seokjin kept eye contact with Jimin.

Taehyung whimpered behind his friend and held on tighter onto his hand at the elder's voice. It was too calm. Jimin, on the other hand, squeezed the boy's hand comfortingly before speaking.

"We really don't know hyung. We were walking back from school and he suddenly fainted."

And had he not known the boy since diaper days, Jimin's cool and almost leveled tone of answering would've fooled Seokjin. But Seokjin knew where to look. The sweat on his forehead and the insistent ringing of fingers gave him away. 

Seokjin diverted his attention to the boy hiding behind Jimin. He smiled assuringly and repeated his question to Taehyung, his tone taking a 180° turn. "Taetae-ya. Would you please tell hyung why Kookie fainted?"

Taehyung peaked from behind Jimin's back and replied stammering, "d- doctor said it was ma- ma-" 

Seokjin seeing how Jimin tensed at the boy's words egged Taehyung to continue, "yes Tae? What did the doctor tell you, dear?"

Jimin was squeezing Taehyung's finger as Taehyung spoke unaware, "he said. Something ma- ma? Manufriction? Manu- manufaction?"

"Manufaction? Did he say Manufaction." Jin asked as he edged towards the boy. He made sure to notice Jimin trying his hardest to let Taehyung know not to answer.

Taehyung shook his head vigorously and jumping on his little feet replied, "na uh! It was maru- mari! Urgh! Chimchim!" He turned to the boy in front of him and nagged at him saying, "what was that word the doctor said!?"

Jimin looked away from Taehyung's innocent gaze and roughly replied, "I don't know!"

The elder heaved sigh, closing his eyes in an effort to remain calm. When he opened his eyes he looked back into Jimin's eyes and asked him once again. "You actually expect me to believe that. Do you? Park Jimin?" 

Any other day Seokjin actually would applaud the boy on his nerve. It was a rare sight to see the elder refer to them with their full names. Today, however, the boy's audacity only served to make the elder's blood boil.

"Yes. Kim Seokjin-ssi. I really don't have the slightest of an idea what the doctor said." Jimin never called him by his name before and his eyes were spiting fire as he spoke. Disrespect dripping from every fibre of his being

And Seokjin snapped. He grabbed at the first thing he could get his hands on, in this case it was a pencil case, and threw it at the boy. Taehyung hid behind Jimin's back with a yelp, eyes closed tight.

The case hit Jimin right on the forehead, just above his right eye. The sound of it crashing on the other's forehead was what woke Seokjin up from his angry stupor. His eyes enlarged at the sight of the blood that trickled down the boy's forehead but, before he could so much as move a muscle, Jimin was gone.

Seokjin watched the boy run off outside the junkyard and even though he knew he would regret it later, he didn't follow. Biting his lips with self loathe, he plucked Jungkook's tiny body up and tucking it into his arms and walked out of the buggy.

From the corner of his eyes he could see Taehyung flinch away from him as he walked away. The way Taehyung stared at him, with a mixer of fear and disbelief, made him want to run away as well. But, one look at the unconscious boy in his arms was enough to evoke the sense of responsibility in the boy and Seokjin made his way to the hospital. 

The bag of food forgotten on the dusty floor.

.....

Yoongi turned the corner to find Hoseok limping down the alley, a pile of clothes tucked under both his arms and three pairs of shoes hung from their tied up laces around his neck. The permanently etched frown on his forehead turned deeper when he saw