"He's pretty happy now. I don't know if this is really going to last, but... It's pretty nice. We are with good people." Yoongi smiled just a little bit as he looked ten's way, offering a bit of a shrug. "You never know how long it lasts. But I have a keyboard now. We are really working on songs. You can have the money we get. Half of it." He still had to think about saving. "If it's enough, maybe you can get a room at one of those hostels."
"It'd be nice. It's cold now, I'm always cold." He didn't like it so much now he was alone again. Before, it was cold and wet but he had Hobi. Now Hobi had a nice house and he wasn't likely to be around Ten much now. It left him a little anxious. "I'll watch you perform. Make sure that you tell Hobi that I am number one fan. You should love me. I support you. Go, fight, win!"
He wanted to stay important to them. To matter. It could so easily slip away.
"Come see me after. I'll give you the money and I'll give you tips. I know where to sleep and eat best when you're alone." Alone had been easy, it had gotten harder once they had the kids. "And J-Hope can cuddle you. He's talked about you every day. We got at least three songs about you."
Yoongi gestured to Hobi when he came back, successfully carrying a bottle of sprite with a straw in it. He held it out for Ten and smiled hopefully, trying to look cute. "Forgive me now? Kiss?"
He was a cute boy. Ten grinned and pulled Hobi down, kissing him sweety and softly on the lips and then taking his drink. "I love you, hyung." Well, hot and cold was fun to, he didn't mind playing head games. "Sing a song about me on stage then we can cuddle tonight." He smiled softly at him and gripped the necklace in his fist.
"And you? My love." Hobi smiled and hugged him tightly, definitely eager to perform now. "I'll rap about you!" He made a heart with his hands and then looked at Suga, grinning. "Let's go, Suga-hyung!"
Yoongi nodded his head and pushed away from the wall, feeling a little nervous. It had been a while, between Jimin getting sick and everything else. "Let's do it."
They made it on stage and the performance went really well. Better than usual. He wasn't surprised when people approached him about selling songs right after and that meant he'd actually have money to give to Ten. Good.
What was less good was when the cops showed up and he was pretty sure he spotted Namjoon. "Shit, Hobi! We gotta run."
He grabbed Hobi, who was still holding Ten's hand, and ended up pulling them both toward the back entrance.
Namjoon could not believe what he saw. He just watched Yoongi, Hobi and a random boy run out the back. With an annoyed huff, he went back out of the front exit and around the back, managing to jump the fence and run around the back to surprise them. They expected Namjoon to come one way, he came the other.
And grabbed Yoongi before he could get much further.
He knew Hobi would slow down. He eyed up his boys with great disappointment, trying to hold Yoongi still. "What the hell are you doing out this late and here of all places? What is the matter with you both? We made a deal."
The cop was yelling and Ten didn't understand, he shifted behind Hobi and clung to him. "We need to run."
"The kids are safe! They are all at home and asleep!" Yoongi struggled, but it was mostly a token effort. Running now wouldn't really have much use, since Namjoon had already seen them. Damn it. "And the babysitter is there, so it's okay if they wake up." So clearly that totally fit within the terms of the deal.
Hobi protectively stayed between Ten and Namjoon, not that he thought that Namjoon would hurt him. "We were gonna go home right away, Joonie-hyung!" After some cuddling of the boyfriend, obviously, but he knew better than to share that right now. "Although you should've been here earlier, we slayed on stage."
"...he's not wrong." Yoongi didn't think that would help, but he tried a cute smile.
"I don't care. This isn't funny, do you understand me?" Namjoon didn't smile back, he wasn't usually this strict and serious but this was a big problem. This could impact his job, these kids were here of all places and God, this place dealt drugs. There was drinking here. Who let them in? "Come on, to my car. You're both in so much trouble. I am furious with you." He let go of Yoongi and then pointed ahead to the place he'd parked his car, glad he came without Jackson tonight or he'd have a lot to explain.
He turned back and gave Ten a firm look. "Say goodbye to your friend, Hobi. We are going home."
Ten gripped onto Hobi and shook his head. He was loud and yelling, he looked so mean. Nope, he didn't like he. He tried to pull Hobi away. "Run away."
Yoongi exchanged a look with Hobi and he hated the sudden fear that seized him. Damn it. He quickly put his hand into his pocket and made sure he had all the money he'd earned tonight, stepping forward and then holding his hand out to Ten. "Here!" He wanted to keep part of it, but he didn't have time to divide it up right now. He lowered his voice and muttered the name of a hostel, then turned and walked toward the car, to hopefully buy Hobi some time for him to properly say goodbye to Ten.
Hobi felt his heart beating too fast. Maybe Namjoon would hurt them now. Or kick them out. He hoped the little ones would be okay. He frowned and then made himself smile at Ten instead, pulling him into a tight hug. "I'll find you, yeah? Usual spots, I'll try. Whenever I can." This was suddenly very tricky. "He's nice, I promise! Please don't worry."
Ten hugged Hobi with fear, not believe a word he said but he didn't want to get arrested. He stashed the money away and ran away as fast as he could. Namjoon might have followed but he had enough to deal with. He got both boys into the car and slammed the door before climbing into the front seat himself. He was tired, stressed and trying his best here. He couldn't handle this kind of thing, it couldn't go on. Not long term.
He pressed his head against the steering wheel and exhaled in frustrating. "What am I going to do with you two? I thought we had a deal and you threw it back at me. I wrote out terms. I don't expect you to be perfect but this is ridiculous. How could you be so stupid?"
To come out this late, unattended, to a dodgy club like this. "Do you want to not be with me?"
"We had to go meet Ten! He thought we all died or got arrested." Hobi thought that was a good reason to go. "And you'd not have said yes. Then you'd have felt bad. If you hadn't found out about it, you'd not have had to feel bad at all." So hat had seemed like the smarter choice. At least it had a chance of working. "What if Jin-hyung didn't know whether you were alive, wouldn't you come see him?"
Yoongi nodded in agreement, trying to think what else to add to it. "It's not dangerous. We've been there a lot before." Maybe that wasn't reassuring, he didn't know.
"If you have a problem, you come talk to me and I would help. You want to see your friend? Fine. You have time between 7am and 9pm to see him. That's a big window of time. Coming out at 1am is not acceptable." Why did he have to explain this to them? He couldn't even look at them, he was so angry. "We agreed you'd all go to bed at 10pm and you came here. Do you know what that could mean?"
Apparently he failed to teach them about consequences. "What if you got caught tonight? The police are raiding this place and you're not that fast. They do regular raids. So let's put aside this cocky, boyish facade you have where you think you're untouchable and think about this."
Leaning forward, he rested his head firmly on the steering wheel and sighed. "They arrest you, catch you, whatever. Do you know what happens? They call up social services and they say I'm doing a bad job. Then I lose you. Not just you, all of you."
He didn't give them those rules to be a dick. They needed them. "Two kids your age outside this late at a club? God. I'd never be allowed to see you again. I'd lose my little boys and -- you can't be this stupid. You're supposed to be hyungs, you agreed to behave. You need to grow up and be responsible. Listen to me. I'm not just some silly dork, I am your hyung."
Yoongi turned his head to stare out the window, crossing his arms to hug himself. Damn it. He wanted to he a grown up already. How was he supposed to do this when there were these stupid rules everywhere? Why did the system hate them? He hated it so much in turn. "We need money so we are ready when things go wrong." Whatever. Might as well tell him, since he was angry anyway.
Hobi wished he could have said goodbye to Ten properly. He didn't know when and how they could meet again and that made his heart hurt. He wasn't even certain whether Ten had truly forgiven him. It was hard to be upset about Ten and about Namjoon at the same time, so he hid his face against his knees and tried not to cry.
"Things will go wrong if you do stuff like this. This stuff is dangerous and it's not worth it. Trust me, I know this club. I worked at this club once. Do you know why we hit it up so often? Because human traffickers come here, bad men that sell kids like you. Drug dealers come here. Men with guns." Namjoon knew well, he'd been in this place himself a few times. He had a rep there once. "Trust me, I know. I was next to go on stage when the guy before me. His head, it just -- it fucking exploded. Some dick brought a gun in."
He gripped the wheel tight and closed his eyes, remembering the trauma and got him off rap and into crime fight. "See, cause, rap is great and all but diss tracks piss people off and they don't have a lot of rules here. All it takes is one pissed off guy with a gun and -- and suddenly the police are there and everyone is getting hurt."
That place had seen more than a few deaths. "You can run into the ocean a hundred times and not get hurt but one day, you misjudge it and can be swept off. Just because you think you know somewhere, doesn't mean you do."
"We won't do it again." Yoongi wasn't sure what else to say. He didn't want to not go again. He wanted to make money. He wanted to check up on Ten. He wanted to live his life and it wasn't as if he didn't know it was dangerous, but they didn't let them on stage in less dodgy clubs. More importantly, Hobi was distressed and that meant that he was on the verge of it himself. He was too close with Hobi not to be. "Hey... He'll be all right, he has money now."
Yoongi stroked Hobi's back soothingly, trying to think of something to fix the situation. "Maybe 7eleven. Some time. We can catch him." Here was hoping. Finding Ten before nine pm, there'd be a neat trick.
"Look, I think you boys are creative and brilliant, you'd be wonderful rappers. But you gotta wait until you're a bit older to use these clubs cause these ones? They're lying to you. You'll never get signed and it's a matter of time before they steal all your intellectual property so you're stuck at square one." Namjoon did his seatbelt and started up the car, doing a u-turn around and hating himself as he drove the opposite way from home. "I'm mad at you and you're both grounded. We are definitely having a talk when we get back about rules but -- shit, Hobi, where's your friend?"
Well, he couldn't let a stray boy wander off at this time. He looked younger than Yoongi and Hobi, for God sake. "You boys, you're gonna be the death of me. I haven't slept in so long!" Namjoon had to laugh, it was either that or cry. "Tell me about your friend, does he sleep rough? Whereabouts?"
"...he goes home with guys." Yoongi wasn't sure what else to say, since he didn't want to use the word 'whore' when Hobi was already this agitated. He didn't know where Ten would be now, he had given him money and he had told him an address, but that might not mean much of anything.
"He's my boyfriend! Not my friend." Hobi had to correct that, wiping at his eyes. "He won't trust you now, he'll run."
"He doesn't like cops." Well, duh. Who on the streets did? Definitely not young boys like Ten.
"Great. This -- God, okay, did you send him anywhere? Where do you normally meet. He doesn't have to trust me but you can get him." They were way past their bedtimes now and he had to find this kid and get them home but he didn't even know where to start. He drove slowly around the direction the boy had run. "What's your boyfriend's name?"
He was small, in some very tight jeans, and he was in a club like that? And he went home with guys? ... Great, his boy was dating a rent boy. Wonderful.
"If we can find him, we'll bring him home with us for the night. It can't be long term though." They had their hands full.
"Ten. He's Thai, so... It's a nickname." Hobi looked at Yoongi for help, hoping that he had some kind of idea. He often did.
"I told him to go to the hostel. There's one down the road, by the pizza place. They have really cheap rooms." And they didn't ask too many questions. A lot of kids off the street came here whenever they had just enough money to pay for a night or more. Yoongi used to do it.
"I love him, hyung! He's sweet. Don't think badly, please. He's so sweet and I love him forever. I'll be rich and marry him."
"I don't think badly of him and I'm not mad at him. I'm mad at you two dumbasses, not him." How did a Thai boy get all the way here? Actually. No. He didn't want to know. He drove along, he checked around the streets and then drove ahead to the hostel to wait. They'd have beaten him on foot, surely.
"We'll stay half an hour and then I have to go home. I'm tired, boys. You know? I work nights and when I'm home, Tae or Jimin wake me up. I just -- I'm stressed, I didn't mean to scare you or make you cry earlier. You just scared me." He just wanted the boys to know that. "I only freak out cause I care about you."
"We won't let them wake you up," Yoongi promised, figuring he could sacrifice some of his own time for that. Clearly Namjoon needed the rest. More importantly, they needed Namjoon. They needed him so desperately. He looked at Hobi, who had his face pressed up against the window, on the lookout for Ten.
Looking at Namjoon, Yoongi worried his bottom lip. "Ten is very good. One time there were some older boys that wanted to... They weren't nice. And he helped me and we got away together."
"He sounds like a very good boy, Yoongi. We'll help him." He didn't really want to bring an under aged whore into his house. Oh God, Jin was going to freak out. This night was crazy. He put his head in his hands and sighed, waiting for this kid t come and putting the radio on so he could listen. "I won't arrest him or hurt him. We'll just take him home tonight and then we'll see what happens."
Crossing his arms, he waited for any signs of life and finally, God finally, the boy appeared. He was clutching money and hurrying to the door.
Hobi got out of the car and quickly walked over to cut Ten off, catching him by his arm. "Hey! It's me!" He tried a smile, glad that it was dark, so that should hide that he had cried. He pulled Ten into a hug and tried to figure out how he'd even begin to explain. "The cop hyung says that he's mad at me and Yoongi, not you. He never hits or hurts!"
It sounded unbelievable, even as he said it and knew it. "See? No bruises."
"Lemme go, Hobi. I don't like cops. I can't be with cops." He looked panicked at the car and then at Hobi, knowing how bad this could be. "I have money. I'll have bed. I don't want to be in the cop car." He couldn't get out of it, it was a trap. He knew it was a trap. He huffed in panic and Namjoon wound his window down, leaning out of it.
"Sorry I yelled. I wasn't yelling at you, I was yelling at my dumb boys. Get in the car, you can crash with Hobi tonight. It's safe." He hoped that'd work. Ten didn't look convinced.
"Hey. Hey, Ten." Hobi turned Ten's head so he'd face him, then kissed his lips gently. "I'd never lie to you, right?" He hoped that would be enough. Although, he still had an ace up his sleeve and so he gestured to Yoongi. "Suga-hyung trusts him!" And they all knew that no one was more paranoid than Suga.
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He wanted to stay important to them. To matter. It could so easily slip away.
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Yoongi gestured to Hobi when he came back, successfully carrying a bottle of sprite with a straw in it. He held it out for Ten and smiled hopefully, trying to look cute. "Forgive me now? Kiss?"
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"My hope."
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Yoongi nodded his head and pushed away from the wall, feeling a little nervous. It had been a while, between Jimin getting sick and everything else. "Let's do it."
They made it on stage and the performance went really well. Better than usual. He wasn't surprised when people approached him about selling songs right after and that meant he'd actually have money to give to Ten. Good.
What was less good was when the cops showed up and he was pretty sure he spotted Namjoon. "Shit, Hobi! We gotta run."
He grabbed Hobi, who was still holding Ten's hand, and ended up pulling them both toward the back entrance.
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And grabbed Yoongi before he could get much further.
He knew Hobi would slow down. He eyed up his boys with great disappointment, trying to hold Yoongi still. "What the hell are you doing out this late and here of all places? What is the matter with you both? We made a deal."
The cop was yelling and Ten didn't understand, he shifted behind Hobi and clung to him. "We need to run."
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Hobi protectively stayed between Ten and Namjoon, not that he thought that Namjoon would hurt him. "We were gonna go home right away, Joonie-hyung!" After some cuddling of the boyfriend, obviously, but he knew better than to share that right now. "Although you should've been here earlier, we slayed on stage."
"...he's not wrong." Yoongi didn't think that would help, but he tried a cute smile.
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He turned back and gave Ten a firm look. "Say goodbye to your friend, Hobi. We are going home."
Ten gripped onto Hobi and shook his head. He was loud and yelling, he looked so mean. Nope, he didn't like he. He tried to pull Hobi away. "Run away."
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Hobi felt his heart beating too fast. Maybe Namjoon would hurt them now. Or kick them out. He hoped the little ones would be okay. He frowned and then made himself smile at Ten instead, pulling him into a tight hug. "I'll find you, yeah? Usual spots, I'll try. Whenever I can." This was suddenly very tricky. "He's nice, I promise! Please don't worry."
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He pressed his head against the steering wheel and exhaled in frustrating. "What am I going to do with you two? I thought we had a deal and you threw it back at me. I wrote out terms. I don't expect you to be perfect but this is ridiculous. How could you be so stupid?"
To come out this late, unattended, to a dodgy club like this. "Do you want to not be with me?"
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Yoongi nodded in agreement, trying to think what else to add to it. "It's not dangerous. We've been there a lot before." Maybe that wasn't reassuring, he didn't know.
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Apparently he failed to teach them about consequences. "What if you got caught tonight? The police are raiding this place and you're not that fast. They do regular raids. So let's put aside this cocky, boyish facade you have where you think you're untouchable and think about this."
Leaning forward, he rested his head firmly on the steering wheel and sighed. "They arrest you, catch you, whatever. Do you know what happens? They call up social services and they say I'm doing a bad job. Then I lose you. Not just you, all of you."
He didn't give them those rules to be a dick. They needed them. "Two kids your age outside this late at a club? God. I'd never be allowed to see you again. I'd lose my little boys and -- you can't be this stupid. You're supposed to be hyungs, you agreed to behave. You need to grow up and be responsible. Listen to me. I'm not just some silly dork, I am your hyung."
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Hobi wished he could have said goodbye to Ten properly. He didn't know when and how they could meet again and that made his heart hurt. He wasn't even certain whether Ten had truly forgiven him. It was hard to be upset about Ten and about Namjoon at the same time, so he hid his face against his knees and tried not to cry.
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He gripped the wheel tight and closed his eyes, remembering the trauma and got him off rap and into crime fight. "See, cause, rap is great and all but diss tracks piss people off and they don't have a lot of rules here. All it takes is one pissed off guy with a gun and -- and suddenly the police are there and everyone is getting hurt."
That place had seen more than a few deaths. "You can run into the ocean a hundred times and not get hurt but one day, you misjudge it and can be swept off. Just because you think you know somewhere, doesn't mean you do."
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Yoongi stroked Hobi's back soothingly, trying to think of something to fix the situation. "Maybe 7eleven. Some time. We can catch him." Here was hoping. Finding Ten before nine pm, there'd be a neat trick.
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Well, he couldn't let a stray boy wander off at this time. He looked younger than Yoongi and Hobi, for God sake. "You boys, you're gonna be the death of me. I haven't slept in so long!" Namjoon had to laugh, it was either that or cry. "Tell me about your friend, does he sleep rough? Whereabouts?"
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"He's my boyfriend! Not my friend." Hobi had to correct that, wiping at his eyes. "He won't trust you now, he'll run."
"He doesn't like cops." Well, duh. Who on the streets did? Definitely not young boys like Ten.
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He was small, in some very tight jeans, and he was in a club like that? And he went home with guys? ... Great, his boy was dating a rent boy. Wonderful.
"If we can find him, we'll bring him home with us for the night. It can't be long term though." They had their hands full.
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"I told him to go to the hostel. There's one down the road, by the pizza place. They have really cheap rooms." And they didn't ask too many questions. A lot of kids off the street came here whenever they had just enough money to pay for a night or more. Yoongi used to do it.
"I love him, hyung! He's sweet. Don't think badly, please. He's so sweet and I love him forever. I'll be rich and marry him."
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"We'll stay half an hour and then I have to go home. I'm tired, boys. You know? I work nights and when I'm home, Tae or Jimin wake me up. I just -- I'm stressed, I didn't mean to scare you or make you cry earlier. You just scared me." He just wanted the boys to know that. "I only freak out cause I care about you."
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Looking at Namjoon, Yoongi worried his bottom lip. "Ten is very good. One time there were some older boys that wanted to... They weren't nice. And he helped me and we got away together."
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Crossing his arms, he waited for any signs of life and finally, God finally, the boy appeared. He was clutching money and hurrying to the door.
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It sounded unbelievable, even as he said it and knew it. "See? No bruises."
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"Sorry I yelled. I wasn't yelling at you, I was yelling at my dumb boys. Get in the car, you can crash with Hobi tonight. It's safe." He hoped that'd work. Ten didn't look convinced.
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