White light was unheard of. Partners ended up somewhere on the spectrum of colors according to the level of “contamination” burned out of them. Jungkook watched as the light sparked around Via’s sleeping body. He could feel her restlessness, even in her sleep.

He shut his eyes.

She had seen Yoongi. The partner that he had lost, she had felt the pain of losing him. Jungkook didn’t wish that on anybody. She had collapsed at the sheer pain of it. And now she was the only one in the entire world that understood his pain. The pain of losing more than just a partner. Of losing a brother.

“Jungkook,” her voice was quiet and his eyes flashed open, turning to her. She sounded different, gentle. Nothing like the emotionless way she talked to him.

“How are you feeling?” He asked, helping her sit up. Jungkook unscrewed a bottle of water for her and she accepted it gratefully.

“I’m fine,” Via said after a moment. “How are you feeling?”

He looked away. “I’m fine.”

There was a silence. Via her dry lips. Something inside her chest constricted painfully as she watched dark emotions pass over her partner’s face. The agony of his pain was still fresh in her mind, she could still feel the wrenching loss in her heart. And no one in the world understood her right now like Jungkook understood her.

“The man that I saw,” she started slowly. “from your memories.”

“Min Yoongi,” Jungkook says, swallowing. “My partner. My brother.” He cursed his voice for choking. He had years to get over the pain, but with Via sitting in front of him, the pain still felt fresh. His fingers tightened around each other.

She reached out for him, surprising Jungkook as her soft hand landed on the side of the neck. His intense eyes flashed up to hers as she rubbed the pad of her thumb on the delicate skin right below his jaw. With her touch, it felt as if ripping pain in his chest subsided. He leaned dangerously into Via’s hand.

“You loved him,” her voice was filled with such understanding that his eyes suddenly filled with tears. Before she could see them, he shifted forward and caught her in his arms, tucking her head into the crook of his neck. She stiffened in surprise, but only for a heartbeat before she melted against him.

“It’s okay,” he mumbled, her hair. “It’s okay.”

He felt her taking a shuddering breath before gently pushing him off, sitting him back in his chair. Jungkook’s head ducked, trying to wipe the tears before she saw them. Via slipped off the cot, moving to stand in front of him. She ran a hand through his hair but he still refused to look up at her.

Via pulled him into her torso and he pressed his face into the space directly under her immediately. His strong body had begun to shake with his sobs.

“It’s okay,” Via rubbed his back comfortingly. His arms curled around her thighs, pulling her in between his knees. “I’ll remember him with you.”

Somehow Jungkook found himself in another bar getting kicked into the dirt by a man twice his age. He didn’t bother to stand up and fight for himself, he found solace in the physical pain. When he curled up on his side protect his internal organs, he didn’t have time to emotions that the granting had stirred up.

The crowd cheered, eager to watch the bloody battle.

“Get up you little ,” the man yelled at him, landing another sickening kick. “Get up and fight like a man.”

If only the man knew.

Suddenly, the beating stopped. He heard a grunt from the man and the sound of the crowd grew silent as his opponent hit the ground. Jungkook didn’t have to look up to know who it was.

Via landed a kick to the man’s head that knocked him out before turning to Jungkook’s figure on the floor. She walked over to him, her heels clicking on the floor.

“Please tell me you at least landed some hits,” she mutters, grabbing him under his bicep and hauling him to his feet.

He stumbled. “You should have seen the other guy.” Jungkook slurred. Via sighed. Of course,” he was drunk.

“I did,” she snapped. “I knocked him out. It took forever to find you. Come on, we’re going home.” She pushed past the crowd that had already begun to dissipate.

“Yeah, just let me grab my coat,” Jungkook flayed a little.

“You’re wearing it,” Via reminded him.

Jungkook narrowed his eyes at her. “Are you calling me a liar?” He pats himself down for a moment before realizing that he was, indeed, wearing his jacket. “Oh, I guess I am.”

“What are you doing here?” Via asked him, putting his arm around her shoulders so that she can help across the room.

“Making a living,” Jungkook replied easily.

Via started brushing the grime of his clothes.

“Hey, hey,” Jungkook jerked back as if she was doing something questionable. “No touching. You could accidentally grab something important.”

Via halted momentarily, turning to make eye contact with Jungkook and raising an eyebrow.

“Let’s go,” Via sighed, grabbing his wrist and pulling him towards the exit.

“Easy, easy,” he mumbled. His head felt light, woozy. “Hold on, I-”

He jerked away from Via and threw himself towards the twin massive trash bins by the exit. The dark-haired girl moved to stand beside him as he vomited up what had to be a pint of clear liquid. Her hands moved to rub the small of his back mechanically as she held her breath.