Stray

twenty eight

If there was one thing Namjoon was sure about, it was that he regretted drinking the night before. He knew it was an irrational decision, but he couldn't help it. He needed something to release the stress that has been on his mind for weeks.

It was so unlike him, to be drinking away his problems in the midst of school duties. Namjoon was rational, but when it comes to Jin he was bound to make irrational decisions. He should've known better, even so the bitter taste of alcohol that night screams his name, and regrettably he caved in.

The first horrible sign that Namjoon should've foreseen was Taehyung telling him that he was going to the bar. Namjoon insisted being a companion for the night, just because he wanted to 'take a breather'. The elder looked convincing, so the blue haired let it slide.

Taehyung thought Namjoon was gonna stand at the back and drink one or two glasses at most.

Wrong. Namjoon said fuck it and drank six. Also stopped at a convenience store to buy another can of beer.

Namjoon had a high alcohol tolerance, but at his fifth he was already living in another world. By the time he arrived at Jin's house, his head was spinning as if it was inside a blender. His shirt was damp due to the drink leaking from his mouth and dirty as he had tripped a couple times along the way. Namjoon didn't remember how he was able to arrive at his boyfriend's door in one piece.

"Jin?", was the first words that came out of his mouth when he wakes up in Seokjin's room. It took him several blinks to finally realise he was not in his own room. He shifts his head to the side. Empty.

He steadies his arms on the mattress, maintaining his composure as he focuses on one thing at a time. The pang on his head was incredulously painful, and Namjoon swears to himself not to impulsively drink ever again for his own sake.

Setting those arms as leverage, Namjoon stands up, pushing both his hands upwards then moving his body forward. There was a faint gnawing on his shoulders which he tried cracking bones but the pain doesn't subside. Furthermore, the hangover pounding into his skull makes it so much worse.

With the strength building in him, he tramps out the door. A flash of his boyfriend in an apron, making breakfast for his hungover self, but the illusion disappears to reveal an empty space. Namjoon's smile and shoulders sag. There was this unknowing feeling in his gut that something was wrong. However, he didn't want to jump to conclusions that easily.

The feeling sticks with him as he reaches for his phone, not receiving any messages from Jin whatsoever. No good morning text or even a message of his whereabouts. Nothing.

Right when he was about to lock his phone, it dings a text message from Jimin. The blonde asked how he was and if he's able to go back to school tomorrow, and a short paragraph of why he should not catch a cold next time. The minute Namjoon starts typing back, he received a call from Jimin.

"Hello?", Namjoon's voice was as hoarse as ever. He fills himself a cup of water and drinks it vigorously.

"Namjoon-ssi? Oh, I'm so glad you picked up! I was worried that you wouldn't after a couple-"

A couple? Jimin missed call him eleven times when he was sleeping.

"-your cold? Will you be able to get back to school tomorrow? The children are worried about you, especially Yeonjun, Jiah and Beomgyu."

"Don't worry about me," Namjoon replies, gulping more from the cup on his other hand. "Who told you I was sick, anyway?"

There was a pause.

"You texted me yesterday, Namjoon-ssi, didn't you remember?"

Namjoon purses his lips, thinking hard but nothing comes to mind. The thinking eventually hurts his brain more. Perhaps he did text the guy, he just doesn't remember.