"I'm a man, I'm a twisted fool
My hands are twisted, too
Five fingers to black hooves
I'm a man, don't spin me a lie
Got toes and I can smile
I'm crooked but upright

And all I ever want
Is just a little love
I said in purrs under the palms
And all I ever want is breaking me apart
I said to the thing that I once was"

Jungkook took two weeks off of work to recover. His body was still weak, and the medication he was on made him dizzy, but he knew he had to work, especially now that his medical bills were piling up more than normal. Yoongi refused to let Jungkook go anywhere without him. In all honesty, the older was terrified that the boy would collapse at any given moment. Yoongi hadn't gotten more than a few hours of sleep every night. He would constantly wake up and check Jungkook for a pulse.

Jungkook yawned behind the counter. His boss had given him the afternoon shift, knowing that there are hardly ever customers in the small shop at that time of day. Jungkook was just happy to be paid.

The bell chimed, and Yoongi cleared his throat, trying to not act suspicious as Taehyung entered the cafè with Jimin. Taehyung smiled brightly at Jungkook.

"Jungkook! How are you feeling? I wasn't expecting to see you back so soon."

Jungkook had to resist the urge to roll his eyes. "I'm hanging in there. The usual?"

The cafè was silent, except for the sound of the blender as Jungkook made their drinks. He handed it to them, Jimin's lid coming off and getting whipped cream and chocolate on his small hands.

"What the hell?"

Jungkook's eyes went big as he apologized, immediately reaching for some napkins. "I am so sorry, Jimin."

Jimin rolled his eyes. "God, you can't even put a lid on a cup? It can't be that difficult."

Taehyung nudged Jimin. "Hey, babe, be nice. It could happen to anyone. The lids just pop off sometimes."

"So you're picking the damn barista's side?" Jimin scoffed.

"What? No! That doesn't even make sense. I'm not on either side. I'm picking the logical side."

"That's right!" Yoongi agreed, raising up his empty cup from the corner in a mock toast.

Jimin threw the dirty napkins on the counter before grabbing his drink, which now had the lid reinforced with tape, and exited the shop, dragging Taehyung with him.

Yoongi had a weird look his face as he stood up from his chair, walking over to where Jungkook stood behind the counter. Jungkook's cheeks were flushed, and his posture was tense. "Hey, Kook, calm down."

Jungkook glared at his best friend before rolling his eyes. "How am I supposed to do that?"

Yoongi shrugged. "I don't have all the answers for you. You need to figure some things out for yourself. One idea could be to tell him how you feel, though."

Jungkook snorted. "What would the point of that be? I don't want to come in between him and Jimin. I'm not that kind of person." Jungkook angrily cleaned the remaining chocolate and whipped cream off the counter.

"Kook, he is obviouly confused. I can see the way he looks at you. He doesn't look at his boyfriend that way."

"Maybe he looks at us differently because Jimin is his boyfriend. Whereas I am some guy that he went on one date with and kissed because him and his boyfriend were temporarily broken up. He fucking used me to fill some void he felt when he was single."

Yoongi sighed before placing a hand gently on the other's cheek. "I can tell that you like him, but that you're scared because you don't want to risk the same thing happening as last time, right?" Jungkook hesitated before he nodded. "Trust me when I tell you that this won't be the same in any way. Yugyeom's death wasn't your fault."

Jungkook blinked away the tears that threatened to fall before he pushed away his best friend's comforting touch. He didn't feel like he deserved the kindness from Yoongi. The younger walked to the back of the shop since there were no customers. He leaned onto the sink in the bathroom, staring at himself in the mirror. He could almost see the darkness trying to consume him, dragging him to the depths of Hell, making him suffer his punishment for the crimes he committed.

He ran a hand through his hair, trying to make himself look presentable. He splashed some cool water on his face to help get rid of the remnants of tears.

A knock on the bathroom door startled Jungkook, causing him to accidently poke himself in the eye as he was splashing the water onto his skin.

Yoongi's voice was muffled through the thick wood. "Jungkook, Hoseok is here for his shift. He said you can head home a few minutes early. We can head to your place and watch a movie if you want?" Jungkook winced as his eye recovered from the poking.

Jungkook smiled to himself at Yoongi's comment, however. He secretly loved Yoongi's soft side. (Don't we all). The older would cuddle Jungkook back to sleep when he had his recurring nightmares. When Jungkook would have his episodes and couldn't catch his breath from laughing fits, Yoongi would calm him down while finding his inhaler.

Jungkook opened the door and was surprised to see the older still there. His eyes went soft the second he saw Yoongi in front of him. He released all of his frustration on his best friend but Yoongi never left him. The younger hated that he hurt Yoongi so much. Jungkook wrapped his arms around Yoongi's shoulders in an embrace. Yoongi chuckled as he wrapped his arms around the other's waist. The height difference made it a little odd, but the boys felt the need to hug and show their appreciation for one another every now and then.

They broke apart, and Jungkook cleared his throat, trying to make his voice not crack. "A movie sounds great. I'll even let you choose it this time." He winked at the older, who laughed, his gums showing through his smile.

••
The two boys sat on the couch. Jungkook's arm was stretched on the back of the couch, and his legs were tangled with Yoongi's. They were sharing a bowl of popcorn, laughing at the movie Yoongi chose to watch.

Jungkook felt his phone vibrating in his pocket, and he groaned before pulling it out. He rolled his eyes as he saw the caller id.

"Kook, you should answer the poor man."

"I don't want to."

"Why not?" Yoongi paused the movie and turned to face his best friend more.

Jungkook pursed his lips as his brain tried to figure out an answer. "I don't want to get attached," he decided. Even saying the words made him feel weak.

Yoongi put a hand on Jungkook's shoulder as the younger's phone vibrated, this time from receiving a text message. He clicked to preview the message.

Taehyung: Kookie, is there a chance I can stay with you for a few days? Jimin and I broke up again and I don't have anywhere else to go.

Jungkook sighed as the guilt overwhelmed him. He showed his screen to Yoongi who nodded, giving the other a slight push.

Jungkook: sure. My address is 2214 Nojams Lane.

Taehyung: thank you so much! I will be there in maybe half an hour? Is that okay?

Jungkook: sure.

"This should be interesting," Yoongi mumbled as he ate a handful of popcorn.

•••
{edited}