NAMJOON WASN'T EXPECTING TO WITNESS A SUICIDE ATTEMPT.

It all started when he heard silent whimpering coming from someone next to him.

He rubbed his eyes tiredly and could feel Jin shaking under his arm.

He realized that they had switched positions in their sleep. Jin at one point had rolled over in the other direction and Namjoon at another point wrapped an arm around his waist.

"Hyung?" he whispered.

Jin only responded with silent cries.

Namjoon propped himself up with his elbow and looked over at the sleeping older boy. He seemed to be having a nightmare so Namjoon gently shook him.

"Hyung, wake up," he said.

Jin did not bat an eye.

He bit his lip, thinking if there was something he read somewhere about what do to in a situation like this or maybe a piece of information on what happens to the mind as it dreams. He couldn't think of anything.

I guess I can't rely on my brain as much, especially around Jin-hyung, he thought.

He looked around the room to see if he could find anything to wake him with and eventually his eyes fell on the pillow he was sleeping on. He sighed, trying to think of something else, but ended up grabbing the cushion and slamming it on Jin's head, unable to listen to his sobbing anymore.

Jin shot up to a sitting position, breathing heavily and sweating, swollen, blood-shot eyes wide as saucers.

Namjoon put the pillow back and gently laid his hand on Jin's shoulder. Jin flinched and snapped his head to him so quickly that Namjoon was surprised he didn't get whiplash.

"Hyung," he cooed, "you're okay."

Jin took a second to catch his breath, staring at Namjoon as if he was still trying to process the boy sitting next to him.

"Joonie," he breathed. The rising of his chest began to slow down.

Namjoon rubbed his back. "Nightmare?"

Jin nnodded as he ran a hand through his hair.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

The sweating boy shook his head. "No. Not now. Sometime. But not now." He scooted closer and laid his head on the crook of Namjoon's neck.

Hesitantly, Namjoon put an arm around Jin to comfort him.

Silence fell upon the two. They sat in each other's embrace for a while, just listening to each other breathing. As they sat Namjoon breathed in Jin's hair scent. It smelled like it hadn't been washed in five days.

"You reek," Namjoon finally said.

Jin softly chuckled. "I know."

A smirk made its way in Namjoon's lips as he wrapped his arms around Jin from behind and began to sniff his neck.

"You smell that?"

Jin leaned away instinctively, laughing. "Hey!"

"Listen," said Namjoon, "it starts from here"—he leaned in closer and took more exaggerated sniffs of his neck—"then it travels down here"—he lifted Jin's arm and took a whiff of his armpit, and even though it really didn't smell like anything, he twisted his face in disgust—"Wooh! That is gross."

Jin quickly put his arm down, laughing harder. "H-Hey! Stop that!"

"And then," he continued, "that awful smell travels everywhere!" He moved his fingers up and down Jin's abdomen, making them run like insects, grabbing pieces of his skin.

Jin couldn't take it. He barked with laughter, laying back, unable to support his weight anymore. Namjoon took the advantage to sit on top of his pelvis to get a better tickling angle. Jin kicked his feet in defiance, but Namjoon was much stronger and heavier than he was.

"O-Okay!" Jin wheezed. "I-I'll take a shower!"

Namjoon finally stopped with a victorious smile on his face.

Jin propped himself up with his elbows, breathing heavily. "You know you could've just told me to take a shower."

"Fine," he said. "You stink. Go take a shower."

Jin rolled his eyes. "You know what I meant, smart ass."

In one swift movement Jin grabbed Namjoon's arms and pulled him down as he sank back in the sheets. The two boys laughed for no apparent reason, merely enjoying each other's company. It had been a while since they played like this.

Namjoon propped himself up and looked down at the older boy, slowly allowing to let himself slip away in his gaze, his smile lingering. Jin stared back, gently rubbing circles around the dimples on Namjoon's cheek, and continuing even as they disappeared on his face when he stopped smiling. They both kept their eyes locked, neither daring to recognize that another soul existed in this world besides them.

"You know," Jin spoke, running his other thumb along Namjoon's eyebrow, "eyes say a lot about someone—about what kind of person they are and are meant to be. A person who looks into their eyes can see that potential a lot easier than the actual person."

"Oh yeah?" Namjoon asked quietly.

Jin nodded, framing Namjoon's face in his hands.

"And why is that?"

"Well," explained Jin, "that person is clouded by judgement of themself and because of that it's hard for them to see how much they truly can achieve. They've already set a standard for themself so it's hard to think otherwise of who they really can be. But an outsider can see it much easier because they don't have those standards."

"Ah. So what is it you see in me?" the younger asked.

"I've told you before." Jin paused as he bored into Namjoon's eyes, stripping him down with his mind, tearing down walls he had put up. "A butterfly."

Namjoon chuckled. "Of course."

"Butterflies can mean a lot of things, Joonie. Hope. Grace. Beauty. Love. . . It's all in you."

Namjoon grew serious, thinking hard. "Hyung, you talked about me being a butterfly. Did you also know they sting? To me butterflies are deceiving. They lure you in and don't care if you get hurt or not. Is that what you think about me? I know you mean it as a compliment but—"

"You're right."

"Huh?" Namjoon raised both eyebrows. "Really?"

"Butterflies can be deceiving. You can be deceiving."

"How?"

Jin licked his lips, staring hard at Namjoon. "To everyone else you don't have a heart. You only rely on your brain and that's it. You're selfish and nobody seems to think you care. Sound familiar?"

The younger boy did not answer.

Jin continued, "But I know the truth. There is so much more to you. It's not that you don't care. It's just that you often think logically, not emotionally, and sometimes that annoys people. But you really do have a heart. You do care because I've seen that side of you. I've seen your humorous side, your vulnerable side, your cold side, your dorky side. . . There is so much to you than what people think.

I personally didn't expect you to be this person. When I first met you, you nearly had me fooled. You looked so admirable from afar yet your eyes held such coldness, loneliness, when I first saw them. But my heart told me better. And when I realized the kind of person you really are it felt like a sting of pleasure, really." Jin smiled playfully.

Namjoon smiled slightly in return. "So. . . What are my wings, then? What makes me beautiful?"

"That's up for you to decide. What makes you feel like you can fly, like you can do anything? I know it's there, but even I don't know unless you do first. I remember saying that people like you are beautiful the first day we met. The most beautiful thing is probably that nobody really knows what makes you so attractive. You just are. You're just a beautiful person because you're you, not because of your intimidating brain, but because of your spirit."

Namjoon nodded, unable to form words. No one had ever said anything like that to him before. It felt like he'd been waiting to hear those words his entire life, like he'd been waiting for someone to tell him how beautiful he is, not for his intellect, but for his persona.

They stared at each other for a while longer, drinking in more of each other's presence.

"Come here," ordered Jin, gently pressing down on Namjoon's neck with his hand.

He mindlessly obeyed, leaning down until the proximity of their faces were dangerously close. Gradually, a magnetic force of ecstasy pulled their lips closer, drawing them in, interlocking them like two pieces of a puzzle fitting perfectly together.

Namjoon loved the feeling of Jin's lips on his. An electric shock traveled throughout his veins, a vibrant wave that prevented him from forming a single intelligent thought.

Jin framed his face with his hands as the kiss deepened, then allowed them to travel up the younger boy's shoulders and run his fingers up and down his scalp, all which made it hard for Namjoon to hold back a moan.

A ringing of a phone interrupted the vivid moment of intimacy.

Namjoon was the first to pull away. He could practically feel the redness of his own cheeks as he sat up and looked at the caller ID.

"Who is it?" Jin asked, peering over his shoulder.

Namjoon tensed at the feeling of Jin's warm breath heating a spot on his shoulder.

The caller ID read: 지민

"Jimin," he said before he swiped the green button and held the phone to his ear. "Hey. What's up?"

"Finally!" Jimin called out dryly. "Sleeping Beauty awakens from his eternal slumber and answers his calls. Good morning, Sunshine!"

"Morning?" Namjoon furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.

"Well yeah! It's morning already. You went to Jin-hyung's yesterday and didn't come back to pick up Min from my house so she ended up spending the night. Jin-hyung's mom went to go check up on you two and you guys were fast asleep so luckily she informed me and I was able to tell Min."

Namjoon mentally slapped himself as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Gosh, Jimin, I can't thank you enough. I really owe you one."

"Eh. Save it for later."

"Does she resentment me?"

"Min? No, no. I mean she was a little annoyed but she knew you were helping Jin-hyung so she let this pass. How's he doing, by the way?" Jimin didn't sound too hopeful for his next question. "Is he talking yet?"

Namjoon turned to face the older boy who had remained quiet the entire, only realizing it was because he was trying to listen, too. Jin looked at him and nodded, his eyes giving the clear message that he was ready to face the outside world again.

Namjoon swallowed. "Um yeah. He is. He's a lot better now."

"He is? He's talking now?" The boy on the other line practically squealed. "Oh my gosh!"

"Yeah, yeah."

"Well then let's meet up later and go to that carnival Seoul hosts every year! Let him get some fresh air!"

"Yeah. I'll ask."

"Great! We can meet up at that ice cream place near my house, kay?"

"But that's kind of far, Ji—"

"Great! Bye!"

The phone had disconnected before Namjoon could utter another word.

"I'm sorry I made you stay," Jin said.

"How much did you hear?" asked Namjoon, staring at the black screen on his phone.

"Just that my mom saw us sleeping so you couldn't pick up Min yesterday and Jimin asked something about me talking and that's it."

"He's happy." He looked over at Jin. "We're all relieved that you're talking again."

Jin looked down, frowning, and intertwined their fingers together. "They took it."

Namjoon curled his fingers in response. "Took what?"

Jin bit his lip and held the unfinished black piece that hung from the younger boy's neck in between his fingers. "They took my necklace. They took my piece. Those men that ambushed me."

Namjoon frowned, looking down at his hyung's hand. "We'll get you another one. It's okay." Namjoon pulled away and turned to face him, taking both of his hands in his. "Hey, listen."

Jin looked up.

"Jimin invited us to go hang out at the carnival that Seoul hosts every year. Thought it might be good for you to get some air. We'll meet with him at the ice cream shop by his house."

Jin nodded. "Yeah. Should be fun."

"You'd be okay with it?"

He elder smiled gently, nodding again.

Namjoon nodded along. "Okay. Well you should get in the shower. I'm going to go get changed and I'll pick you up. Your mom here?"

Jin shook his head. "No. She started going back to work today."

"Okay." Namjoon stood up and so did Jin. "Well I'll see you later."

"Yeah," he said.

Namjoon awkwardly bowed his head and made his way out of the door.

What just happened? he wondered once he was out of the apartment.

"I'm really glad you're back oppa," said Min with a gentle smile.

"Thank you, Min," Jin mused, returning the expression.

Jin pulled Jungkook closer as his arm clumsily laced itself around his shoulder.

Once Namjoon came back to pick up Jin they both got in his car that Nurse Kim was able to have repaired and met Jimin, Jungkook, Yoongi, and Min at the ice cream shop.

They were all relieved when Jin began talking to them again. All of them, except Yoongi, who was a little hesitant, raced in for a hug.

As they made their way to the carnival Jungkook pulled Namjoon aside and asked, "How'd you do that?"

Namjoon shrugged. "Do what?"

"Make him talk! How'd you do it?"

"I just told him something he told me a while ago, about how it's not good to hold in things. That's all."

Jungkook ran his fingers through his hair as he sighed. "Listen, hyung, I want to thank you for being there for my uncle. I'm not sure what I'd've done without you. I'm sorry for being an ass in school but now that I've got Min as my friend so I've stopped hanging out with those other guys. I'm really trying to turn myself around and she's been helping me a lot."

Namjoon hummed in response. "Well I'm glad you have someone, but realize that if you hurt her the police won't find your body."

Jungkook swallowed and nodded timidly.

They spent the rest of their time playing games and going on rides. Jin smiled and laughed and so did everyone else when Jungkook did something stupid or Yoongi got irritated. Time flew by before anyone could even register and the carnival came to a close for the night.

They started back home, Jimin talking to Jungkook and Min and Yoongi just paying attention to their conversation.

Jin looked up at the moon as he stayed behind, walking alongside Namjoon.

"It's only sunset, yet the moon is already visible."

Namjoon looked over at him and then up at the luminous circle hovering over the sky. "Yeah. It's pretty."

"It's beautiful," said Jin. He looked over at Namjoon, smiling. "You're beautiful."

Namjoon stopped dead in his tracks and turned to face him, merely staring. Jin followed his movements a second later.

"Why are you doing this?"

"What ever do you mean?"

"Guys!" Jimin shouted.

Jin and Namjoon both turned to see the rest of the group rushing toward a big wooden platform supported by stacks of wood that pieces together unsteadily and hastily, attached to the pier. They both looked at each other before following them. Namjoon didn't understand what was wrong until he saw a man standing on the very top of the unstable platform.

Jimin gasped. "Oh my God!"

"Is that idiot really planning to jump?" Yoongi wondered.

Jimin turned to everyone. "Should I call the police?"

Namjoon spoke calmly, "Guys, cool down. Let's think this through."

"There's nothing to think through!" Min panicked. "He's going to kill himself!"

"I agree," Jungkook said. "We need to call someone."

"There's an 80% chance he'll jump within the next three minutes," Namjoon informed. "The nearest police station is a half hour away. They won't make it in time."

"Well he can just swim, right?" asked Min.

"Not if he doesn't know how," said Namjoon.

"So what do we do, hyung?" Jimin was beginning to hyperventilate. He turned to face the pier and cupped his mouth with his hands and shouted, "DON'T DO IT!"

Jungkook and Min followed in his actions and screamed at the top of their lungs, begging him not to do it.

"PLEASE DON'T!"

"GET DOWN!"

"HEY, WHAT ARE YOU DOING? GET DOWN!"

"PLEASE DON'T DO THIS!"

"DO A FLIP!"

Jimin smacked Yoongi upside the head. "This isn't the time, hyung! Quit being an ass!"

The boy turned down in their direction but his face was too vague to see.

Jin tugged on Namjoon's sleeve. "Joonie, look." He pointed at the side of the unstable contraption and with the help of squinting Namjoon was able to spot someone else climbing up to the top.

He watched the person closely, eager to see what he would do.

It took a moment before the rest of the group caught sight of him, too.

When he felt something warm on his hand he looked down to find that Jin had interlocked their fingers. He stared at the older boy, but he did not stare back. Instead he was focused on the scene before him.

Namjoon looked back at the sight to find that the second person had made it to the top. He climbed onto the platform and stood up, spreading his hands as if he was trying to balance on a thin wire.

Min put her hand over her eyebrows, as if she was saluting. "What is he doing?"

"I think he's trying to get him down," said Jin. "I pray he succeeds."

Even though Namjoon couldn't see them that clearly the second man looked older than the one about to jump.

The assumed older male approached the younger one carefully, probably afraid that he was going to jump if he got too close too fast. Their lips moved but not a word traveled to Namjoon's ears. The older flinched  when the boy took a step back, a step closer to the edge.

Jimin jumped in fear. He seemed the most startled out of everyone. "Oh my God! That's it. I'm calling the police!" He pulled out his phone, but it was quickly snatched away by Yoongi.

"Hold on. We don't know these people. We don't know their story. Let's see how things go."

Jimin grabbed his arm. "Hyung! He's going to kill himself! We have to do something! What if that was me? What if I was ready to jump any second? Even right now, even if we're not together! Would you have just stood there and—"

"I would jump with you if it meant not having to live everyday knowing you're gone for good!" snapped Yoongi.

Silence fell upon the group.

Jimin and Yoongi locked eyes. The facial expression on Yoongi sent Namjoon the message that he instantly regretted what he said. Not because he didn't mean it, but because he didn't want Jimin to know he meant it.

"Hyung—" Jimin started after a good thirty seconds of thick silence.

Yoongi pulled his arm out of his grasp and stormed off as he shouted, "Let the bastard die!"

Jimin was about to follow him but Jungkook put a hand on his chest.

"I'll go after him."

"I'll go with you," said Min.

Before Namjoon could object Jungkook placed a hand on her shoulder and smiled gently.

"He needs someone right now. Let me talk to him alone."

Min nodded reluctantly. "Okay."

She watched as he disappeared into the distance.

Jin tapped Namjoon on the shoulder and pointed back at the two forgotten men. Namjoon turned and watched as the boy, now in reach, was grabbed by the older man and pulled into a kiss.

Min gasped, looking up.

Jimin frowned, a far away look clouding his eyes as he watched the scene before him.

The younger boy tried to push the man away but he didn't budge. Despite all his efforts, eventually he allowed himself to melt into the kiss and rested his hands on the elder one's chest as his partner wrapped his arms around his waist.

"I'm sorry I scared you guys," apologized Kim Taehyung, the boy wwho nearly jumped.

"You gave us a good scare," Jin said.

"I...I was trying to prove something."

Jung Hoseok, the older man, wrapped an arm around him.

After they both had came back down safely the boys and Min ran to them to make sure they were okay.

"Trying to prove what?" Min cried. "What could possibly drive you to kill yourself?"

"Love," he simply replied as he looked at Hoseok. "The need to feel love."