Jimin wasn't completely silent.

He would whisper to Yoongi sometimes, which was the only reason Yoongi wasn't completely falling apart. Yoongi supposed that some part of Jimin relied on Yoongi, to protect him, to keep him safe, and as much as Yoongi didn't want Jimin to be so broken that he had to rely on someone else to hold him up, Yoongi was glad to be that person for him.

He talked to Tae as well, probably for similar reasons. Tae had saved him, in a way. He had brought him back. And they shared a bond tighter than any other.

Jimin didn't talk to Jin much on a regular basis, so it wasn't anything out of the ordinary to Jin when Jimin stopped completely.

Jungkook was upset, and for good reason. Even though he and Tae were very close, they still shared a sort of competitiveness in their relationship with Jimin, and although they were all supposed to be equal, he had been shut out. But it wasn't his fault; he simply hadn't been the one to tuck Jimin in, to hold him while he wept all the tears he'd been holding inside. He simply hadn't been in the right place at the right time, and he was suffering for it.

Suffering, but not as much as Hobi. He took it personally, very personally, when Jimin stopped talking to him, although he knew exactly why. Whether or not it was Jimin's own conscious decision or due to his psychological state, just as Jimin and recognized Yoongi as his protector and Tae as his lifeline, Jimin had recognized Hobi as the one who had stood silently in the kitchen, watching, regretting, but not doing. Hobi had let him down, forsaken him. Hobi hadn't meant to, but that was what had happened.

Since The Incident, Jimin hadn't spoken a single word in front of their step-father.

The irony of the matter was that their step-father probably didn't even notice.

Like Song Chul, their step-father was prone to sporadic bursts of tension and anger, but more often than not, he was simply a high-ranking, preoccupied businessman with too much on his mind to worry about three teenage boys.

And so the house grew quieter and colder, and a small rift settled between Jimin and Hobi.

Yoongi, as Jimin's protector, felt compelled to watch over him, which left Hobi alone for the most part.

***

Jimin found that school went by much more easily when he simply didn't talk.

If he didn't talk, he didn't stutter, and if he didn't stutter, then there weren't a half-dozen boys imitating his speech. Hyungwon, Jongup, and Jooheon were worried, but nothing they did prompted a single word out of the boy, so they just their best to be supportive, even though it was hard sometimes when it felt like a one-sided relationship between them and a silent entity.

It got to the point where Hyungwon couldn't stand it. He cared deeply for Jimin as a friend, but of the two of them, Hyungwon had always been the quiet one. The silence between them was unnerving, and it made him feel like Jimin didn't trust him enough.

"I've been here for you the whole time," Hyungwon said to him one day at lunch. "From when kids were making fun of you and even before then. And now you won't even talk to me, Jimin." He waited to Jimin to defend himself but of course, he didn't. "Do you not trust me after everything we've been through?"

By everything, Hyungwon was referring back to the time where both he and Jimin had been on opposite sides of the average height. Jimin had been the shortest in the class, and Hyungwon had been the tallest. Each got teased for it respectively, and when they became unlikely friends, they were teased even more. The kids weren't really being mean, or at least, they didn't think they were being mean, but both Jimin and Hyungwon were sensitive about their height because it made them different from everyone else. But they hadn't stopped being friends. Instead, they'd clung together more tightly, because at least they were with someone that understood what it was like to be the odd one out.

"Does our friendship not mean enough to you for you to talk to me?" Hyungwon asked, hurt, and when Jimin still didn't respond, Hyungwon hesitated before picking up his lunch and walking away.

All Jimin could do was watch with sad eyes.

It wasn't that he didn't want to talk.

Well, he didn't.

But it was more than that. He was scared to talk. Even though of opening his mouth made him shake, and whereas his speech used to be understandable despite the stutter, he could barely understand himself. It was like his body had been wired to betray him, and he no longer was able to communicate effectively.

Yoongi had gotten used to reading his body language more than his voice, but not everyone was as intuitive as Yoongi. And Tae usually monopolized their conversations with anecdotes and jokes to try to lighten things up, so Jimin didn't need to say much of anything.

But he wanted to say something to Hyungwon. He really did. Even if it was just Sorry. Because he knew he wasn't being fair, but he couldn't control it.

So he watched Hyungwon walk away, and then he finished his lunch.

***

Jin was one of the last to leave the classroom, but before he could step out, he was yanked backward by a hand on his wrist.

Startled, he turned his head, and his mouth opened in surprise even though no sound came out.

Then, "J-Jooheon?"

Jooheon crossed his arms, and Jin sensed that this wasn't a friendly reunion.

He swallowed. "Hello..." He hesitated, avoiding Jooheon's eyes. "How have you been?"

"I didn't stop you to have an old chat between friends," Jooheon said sharply, and Jin opened his mouth again before shutting it and looking down, somewhat hurt although he wasn't sure why he felt that way.

"Then what am I here for?" Jin asked, looking up and tightening his mouth so it didn't slip into a frown.

"It's about Jimin."