Chapter Text
Jungkook enjoys walking through the mostly empty train station, appreciates the silence while he tries to calm his thoughts.
He knows it's childish, fighting with your parents and running away, but he had to get out. Whenever they bring up his abysmal grades and start pressuring him about the future, he feels like he can't breathe. He was suffocating under the expectant gaze of his parents, who were waiting for answers to questions he didn't have the answer to. Why aren't your grades improving? What do you plan to study? Why aren't you thinking about your future? He doesn't know. Jungkook doesn't fucking know. So he ran.
And now here he is, walking through the local train station. At 3am. He's not supposed to be here, doesn't even have a ticket, but security isn't as tight around this time and he knows how to slip through. He knows he has to get out before it starts getting busy, which isn't for another two or three hours, so he resolves to just sit down in one of the many empty seats around and rest for a bit before leaving. He's been walking for close to an hour now.
He spots a waiting area at the end of the hallway to his right. Jungkook walks over and sits down on one of the seats close to the wall. From here, he can see someone sleeping. The person is lying down, body taking up three seats. He takes a look at the person's face.
What the fuck.
Shock runs through Jungkook's body, because that's Park Jimin and what the fuck is Park Jimin doing asleep at the train station.
He's never spoken to the guy, but everyone knows who he is. Ranked #1 in the school, Park Jimin is everything his parents wish he was. Perfect grades, perfect attendance, and a bright future ahead of him. He's even cute, he thinks as he closely inspects the other's face. Wait, what the fuck am I doing.
It looks like he said that last thought out loud, since Park Jimin is now awake and staring at him.
"Um, hello there. Fancy meeting you here." he says. Jimin just glares at him. "What do you want? I was sleeping, you know. I'd like to go back to that." Jungkook doesn't know what to say to that, so he blurts out the first thing that comes to mind, "Why are you sleeping at the train station?"
Jimin looks at him with wary eyes, "What's it to you? You've never even tried to speak to me before Jeon Jungkook, so why should I tell you?" Jungkook can't argue with that, but he's so curious. He'll have to get Jimin to open up.
He gives Jimin a sheepish smile, "Sorry about that. I don't really talk to anyone, have to maintain my mysterious loner image you know?" Jungkook can see the corners of Jimin's mouth lift, a small smile forming on his face.
"Well, I don't talk to mysterious loners. Destroys the whole 'nerdy, only cares about school' image I've worked so hard to built." he says. Jungkook laughs, "That's too bad then. You've already talked to me a grand total of three times tonight. Consider your image ruined." Jimin rolls his eyes at him. "I could say the same thing about you."
Jungkook lets out an exaggerated groan, "God, you're right. What have I done? All my years of hard work, of only responding to people with grunts and words with a single syllable, all of that for naught?" he says and throws his arms up, dramatically. Jimin laughs at him. "Jeez, stop trying so hard. I know what you're doing. You want to get me to loosen up so I'll tell you why I'm here. You can stop now, I'll tell you, just please stop embarrassing yourself."
Jungkook pouts at Jimin, "But I'm hilarious. I'm so funny." he says. Jimin pats his head, "You're not. Now, do you want me to tell you why I'm here or not? I'll warn you, it's quite the sob story." he tells him, curling up towards himself. "Oh, and just so you know. You have to tell me what you're doing here, too."
Jungkook sits down next to him and nods, "Okay." Jimin takes a deep breath, and starts. "My dad, he wants me to be a doctor. He wants me to be the best doctor, become the pride of the family, all that bullshit. That's not what I want, though. I don't want to be a doctor."
Jimin is silent for a while, his shaky breathing the only thing that can be heard. Jungkook thinks he's decided he isn't comfortable talking about this to him and is about to tell Jimin it's okay, that he gets why he doesn't want to talk about it. Before he can, however, Jimin speaks up.
"Ask me." he breathes out. Jungkook looks at him, confused. "Ask you what, Jimin?" Jimin doesn't look at him, just breathes in and replies, "Ask me what I want to do. What I want to be in the future. Everyone's always telling me who I should be, what career I should choose. No one asks me what I want." This time, Jimin turns to look at him, a pleading look in his eyes. "Please. Ask me."
Jungkook is startled, but quickly composes himself and complies, "What do you want to do, Jimin?" Jimin smiles at him, content. Jungkook feels his heart skip a few beats.
"I want to be a dancer. I want to have my own studio, and teach others how to dance, to make them feel what I feel while I dance. Happiness." Jungkook hears Jimin laugh self-deprecatingly, "God, that sounds lame. But it's the only dream I have, the only thing I want to do." Jimin's gaze turns to the floor, "My dad doesn't want any of that, obviously. I was so careful, saved up my allowance so I could pay for my dance classes without him finding out, made sure my grades were the best, all so he wouldn't suspect a thing. I thought he'd never find out, but he did."
Jimin closes his eyes, "He told me to quit. I told him he could go fuck himself, then he kicked me out of the house. Said I couldn't come back until I was in 'the right state of mind'. Basically, I'm a disappointment and fucking homeless and-" Jimin's breathing starts becoming more erratic.
"I can't breathe. I can't breathe." he croaks out, his eyes frantic.
Fuck, he's having an anxiety attack. Jungkook wraps his arms around Jimin. "Listen to me. You're fine, Jimin. Everything's fine." he says as he places Jimin's head on his chest. "Come on, breathe with me, you can do it. In and out." He feels Jimin breathe against him and rubs his back, "That's it. Keep going, in and out. Match your breathing with mine."
He doesn't know how long they stay in that position, both of them just breathing together. Eventually, Jimin pulls away. He still looks a bit shaken but manages a soft, grateful smile. "Thank you, uh, for that back there. That's, that's never happened to me before." Jungkook gives him a nod and keeps a comforting arm around his back, "It's okay. I know how horrible it feels. That feeling as if you're suffocating."
Jimin looks at him, curious. "Has it happened before? To you, I mean. You seemed to know exactly what to do to help me calm down." Jungkook turns his gaze towards the ceiling and lets out a sigh. "It has. These days, my parents, they've been pressuring me about my future and it's been making me anxious. Sometimes it gets really bad and I get anxiety attacks. I've learned how to cope. Talking to myself, feeling my heartbeat, it helps me calm down. I figured it would help you, too."
Jungkook looks away from the ceiling, and towards Jimin. He looks as if he's debating something, Jungkook can guess what he wants to say. "Ask me." he says, echoing Jimin's words from before. "I did say I would tell you why I'm here, too. I don't mind giving out a few extra details." He winks at Jimin, who rolls his eyes at him.
"Were you alone? When it first happened?" he asks, a worried tone in his voice. Jungkook sighs and nods, "It was terrifying. Felt like my throat was closing up. I started trembling, got dizzy. Thought I was going to die for a second. Then," He makes a fist in front of Jimin's face and opens it, "Poof. After a few minutes, it was gone." Jungkook lets out a shaky laugh, "I was freaked out, couldn't believe what just happened. I still feel like that sometimes."
Jimin is looking at him with wide eyes, an unreadable look on his face. He's about to ask him what's wrong, when he unexpectedly feels Jimin's arms envelop him in a tight embrace. Jungkook's eyes widen in shock, "Wh-what's gotten into you all of a sudden?!" He waits for an answer, but Jimin only tightens his hold. Jungkook can't believe he's going to die suffocated by the embrace of someone smaller than him.
I guess there are worse ways to go.
"Just. Thank you. Again. For helping me back there. I....I don't know what I would've done, if you hadn't been here." he hears Jimin say, mumbling the words against his neck. Jimin then abruptly lets go, Jungkook wants to point out how red his cheeks are, but decides against it when Jimin glares at him, the look in his eyes saying Do it. I dare you.
So Jungkook does the next best thing. He laughs in Jimin's face.
Jimin looks mad for a second, but then bursts out laughing. Jungkook thinks he's never heard a sound so pleasing. Shaking his head, he pushes that thought to the back of his mind. What is happening to him.
Jungkook throws an arm around Jimin and keeps laughing along with him. They laugh off their worries about the future, their stress over the pressure from their parents, everything. By the time they're done, both of them are lying side by side on the floor, a sated smile on their faces.
"I never did tell you about why I'm here." Jungkook speaks up, gaze locked to the ceiling. "I ran away from my house. My parents were asking me about the future and I got scared. I got scared because I feel like I have no future sometimes. My grades are shit, I don't have anything I enjoy doing. I felt like I was going to suffocate in that house. So I ran. And I ended up here. It's happened before, a few times." he says, his last words coming out a bit shaky.
"I like it here. Enjoy the silence, it helps me forget about everything, clear my head." Jungkook turns his whole body around to face Jimin, who's looking back at him. "I never thought finding you here, talking to you, would help me more." he says, and smiles at Jimin. "Thank you."
Jimin smiles back at him. Jungkook thinks about how good Jimin looks like this, hair messy, face still red from laughter, and a smile on his face. That's when he notices how close his and Jimin's faces are, only a few inches separating them. He locks eyes with Jimin, who seems to realize how close they are, too.
They jump away from each other, blushes adorning their faces. Jungkook is sure he's blushed more the hour or so he's spent with Jimin tonight than he has his entire life.
There's a few minutes of silence. Not the good kind of silence, however. It's the long and painful awkward silence. Jungkook takes a look at his watch and holy shit it's almost 5:30.
"Jimin, we have to leave now." he says and shoves Jimin's bag into his chest. "Pack up, hurry!"
Jimin shoves his blanket and pillow in his bag and turns to Jungkook, "Alright, alright! I'm done! Can you tell me what the big rush is-" Jimin is cut off by a yell coming from the other end of the hallway, "Hey, you two! You're not supposed to be here!"
It's a guard and fuck he's running this way.
Jungkook grabs Jimin's hand and runs.