Chapter 6

The harmonious sound of the Piano keys, one melding into the other, filled the room. Yoongi's drifted from one key to another in a rehearsed dance as he rocked from side to side, body following the rhythm he played. His gaze drifted between the Piano and the body that swayed a few feet in front of it as quickly as it could without losing the coordination in his fingers, determined to commemorate all of Jimin's movements to memory.

Jimin's eyes were closed and his arms were outstretched. His fingers clutched at the oversized cuffs of his shirt as he pranced about, eyes closed and lips pulled into the smallest of smiles. He moved on the tips of his toes, turning in swift, practiced circles. He made tiny jumps and twirls, unable to do more within the decent sized room. Jimin turned his odd to the side, placed all of his wet on the toes of his right leg while he lifted his left leg back. He spread his arms out as if they were wings and gave a hum that caused Yoongi to halt his playing and snicker.

"What?!" Jimin cracked an eye open, mouth turning downwards in a pout.

"Nothing! It's just.." Yoongi shrugged with a grin. "You're so…"

"Cute?" Jimin finished, a teasing glint in his dark eyes.

"Cute." Yoongi confirmed, laughing lightly.

Obviously satisfied with his response, Jimin pranced over to the Piano and dramatically flung himself over it. "So!" He propped his face up on his hands. "What's the name of that melody you were playing? It's beautiful!"

Yoongi's expression turned indifferent. "Name?"

"It's a song right?" Jimin tilted his head. "Don't musicians usually have a theme or something in mind when writing music?"

"Well I started this particular melody before the accident. I didn't really have anything in mind, I just played and let my fingers go from there." Yoongi relayed. "Usually something, an image or feeling per say, develops from there."

"Do you have an image or feelings now?"

"Can't say….I was too busy watching you to really focus on anything." Yoongi confessed after a moments hesitation, a light blush dusting his cheeks.

Jimin seemed taken aback by that, but soon recovered from his initial shock. He strolled around the Piano and moved to stand behind Yoongi. "Well then let's try and find out okay?" Jimin placed his hands on Yoongi's temples. "Close your eyes and play again. Focus on the music this time, and tell me what you see or feel."

Following Jimin's instructions, Yoongi let his fingers move over the keys as his eyes fell shut. He breathed in and out steadily as his head was tilted back, slowly losing himself in the tune that filled his ears.

"Do you see anything yet?"

Yoongi nodded his head, completely in tune with the pictures in his mind.

Jimin. With every key he hit, he saw Jimin. His smile, his eyes, his hair, everything was Jimin. It made him feel happy, at ease and at peace. But at the same time, he could feel sadness, maybe even pity. Not only did he see a young man full of life and and beauty, he saw someone he only had a limited time with, someone he didn't want to let go of.

"What do you see?"

"You." It slipped out before he could stop it. His fingers stilled and his lashes fluttered open. His breathing hitched upon being met with Jimin's face just centimeters away from his own, noses nearly touching. His eyes locked with Jimin's equally dark brown ones.

"You're pretty when you play." Jimin murmured.

"You're pretty when you dance." Yoongi countered immediately, gaze never leaving Jimin's. His heart thumped loudly in his chest and his ears roared with the heavy tension that hung between them.

"Y-you.." Yoongi swallowed tensely. "Your parents must be proud of your skill in dancing." 'Way to break the tension Yoongi.'

Jimin frowned as the light in his eyes dimmed just a little, even his shoulders looked like they had dropped. 'Is he disappointed? For what?'

"I..guess they are." Was Jimin's careful reply. "I don't remember them ever saying anything about my dancing."

"You've never danced for them?" Yoongi asked curiously, eyebrow raised in question.

Jimin shook his head as he sat beside Yoongi. "No…they weren't ever interested, you could say."

Yoongi stared at Jimin in confusion. 'What parents aren't interested in their children's hobbies?'

" I know what you're thinking." Jimin murmured. "They're good parents, they just..had more important things to focus on than me. Like I said, I was a troublesome kid. But my parents always made up for it by giving me things they promised me."

"Like a trip to the Sea?" Yoongi clamped his mouth shut almost immediately after the question slipped out. He felt his stomach clench in worry upon seeing the way Jimin's eyes narrowed and the scowl that tugged at his mouth.

"They're going to take me to the Sea!" Jimin snapped at Yoongi. "They always keep their promises! Mind your own damn business Yoongi!"

Yoongi found himself reeling with shock, mouth agape at Jimin's outburst of anger. "I…"

Jimin sighed, anger dissipating as quickly as it had came. He rested his head on Yoongi's shoulder and held his arm to his chest. "I'm sorry, Yoongi. I shouldn't have said that. It's just-"

"No, it's okay," Yoongi comforted with a caress of Jimin's hair. "I shouldn't have pried. It wasn't my place to say that. I'm the one who needs to be sorry." He rested his chin on Jimin's head.

"Thank you." Jimin flashed Yoongi a grateful smile.

"You're welcome, Jimin."

"Gosh I could use something to cheer me up right about now." Jimin huffed.

"Well…my friends visited today and Taehyung left his puppy with me." Yoongi began. "If you want you-"

Jimin's head shot up so quickly that Yoongi leaned backwards to keep from being hit. "A puppy?! The same one you almost died for?!"

Jimin's eyes shone with excitement and his body shook with such enthusiasm that Yoongi couldn't help but laugh. "Yes, that puppy! Would you by any chance like to-"

"Of course I would!" Jimin cut him off as he leaped to his feet. "Let's go get Seokjin so he can take us back up to your room! Hurry before your friends come back!"

"Okay okay don't break my wheelchair you damn energizer bunny!"

*****

"Well aren't you just the cutest little thing!" Jimin nosed at Yeontan's fur as he held the puppy close to his chest.

"He must really like you a lot!" Yoongi related in an impresses tone. "I don't think I've seen him take to anyone so quickly."

"Well I seem to have a knack for that don't I?" Jimin flashed Yoongi a teasing smile, clearly referring to their own growing relationship.

"You surely do!" Yoongi sniffed, eyeing Jimin as he tapped his cast lightly. "So..are you feeling…better?"

Jimin scratched behind Yeontan's ears with a tilt of his head. "You mean after earlier?"

Yoongi tensed, awaiting another outburst. "Yeah…I didn't mean to upset you. Honest it was a thought said in poor taste. I'm sure your parents will take you to the Sea someday."

Jimin said nothing for a moment, merely staring at Yeontan's fur as he petted him absentmindedly. "Don't worry about it. I know you'd never purposely say anything to hurt or upset me. I guess I just wasn't expecting you to say…that."

A part of Yoongi wanted to ask Jimin why the comment about his parents taking him to the Sea had made him so upset, but he'd pried enough. He most certainly didn't want to risk angering Jimin again.

"Anyways, how's recovery coming along?"

"Uh..good actually!" Yoongi rested his hand on his cast. "My ribs are completely healed and this cast will be coming off soon! Joon said ill be put on crutches for a short while to get me in the swing of walking again and then I'll start physical therapy!"

"Really? That's great!" Jimin beamed happily.

"It is.. But the idea of doing physical therapy is pretty scary." Yoongi admitted. "Just the though of my leg crumbling under me makes my stomach turn. I don't think I can take it."

"That's understandable. In fact, overcoming mental and emotional fear is the biggest struggle for lots of people who go through physical therapy." Jimin leaned over and rested his head on Yoongi's shoulder. "But you won't be alone, I promise I'll be there rooting for you with every step you take!"

Yoongi pursed his lips as he stared down at Jimin, cheeks turning a soft pink.

"You're blushing again Yoongi." Jimin poked at Yoongi's cheek with a giggle.

"Stop making me blush!" Yoongi whined, laying back on the bed and covering his face with one of the pillows.

"No can do! You're adorable when you're all shy! Isn't he Yeontan?" Jimin lifted the puppy to eye level. "Tell Yoongi he shouldn't be hiding his cuteness!"

Yeontan barked, eliciting a groan from Yoongi. "You both suck!"

*****

The sound of soft sniffling penetrated Yoongi's sleep, making him stir with a soft groan. He rolled over onto his side, lashes fluttering open and shut in an effort to focus his vision. There on his windowsill sat a figure whos white shirt shone brightly beneath the moonlight. Yoongi narrowed his eyes in confusion upon recognizing the person perched in his window.

"Jimin? What are you doing here?" Yoongi murmured, voice laced with sleep. "It's in the middle of the night!" When he received no response, he perched himself up on an elbow, careful not to disturb the sleeping puppy at the foot of his bed. "Jimin?"

Jimin slowly turned his head to look at Yoongi. "I'm sorry to wake you." Jimin rasped in a soft, hoarse voice. "I wasn't feeling too well and decided to come here, I hope you don't mind. Being around you usually takes my mind off of things."

Upon seeing Jimin's face beneath the moonlight, Yoongi shot up straight, alert and at full attention. His eyes were bloodshot red and dull, and his cheeks were stained with tears.

"Wha-are you okay?!" Yoongi's eyes were wide and his heart hammer in his chest. "Are you hurt?! Do I need to call a doctor for you?!"

Jimin gave a small smile, a shake of his head and a dismissive wave. "No no. I'm not hurt, not physically anyway."

"Then what's the matter? Why are you crying?!" Yoongi asked worriedly.

Jimin tugged at the sleeves of his shirt and shrugged with a small shake of his head.

Yoongi sighed. "Come here, Jimin." When Jimin made no move, Yoongi called for him again. "Please?"

After a moment's hesitation, Jimin slid down from the windowsill and wandered over to Yoongi's bedside.

Yoongi grabbed hold of jimin's sleeve covered hand and gently pulled him into the bed, mentally being thankful that if he laid sideways, the bed was big enough for the both of them. "Will you tell me what's got you so sad this late at night?" His tone was soft as he stroked the back of jimin's hand in hopes of coaxing him to open up.

"…I was thinking about what you said earlier…about my parents." Jimin murmured.

Yoongi felt as though he had been hit with the largest wave of guilt ever known to man. He knew he'd crossed a line, but he never thought it was so bad that Jimin would cry because of it.

"Oh God Jimin I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you this much! Please, please don't cry because of me, I can't-"

"I lied."

The confession was barely more than a whisper, and yet it made Yoongi's rambling come to a halt. He stared down at Jimin, watching as he toyed with his shirt to avoid eye contact.

"My parents hate me, I'm sure of it." Jimin continued. "I'm not sure what I did wrong, but somewhere along the way they started treating me differently. I was always a troublesome child, so I guess my parents became short tempered overtime. The punishments I received were always different depending on my parent's moods. But they always made it up to me! They always said they were sorry and that it'd never happen again as long as I behaved myself. They'd even give me anything I wanted to make up for it. But if I'm honest the fear and pain I felt never really went away. I never doubted they loved me though.

I told you they were good parents, but by the standard of what good parents are, they really weren't. Maybe I just wasn't a good child? I don't really know." Jimin inhaled shakily as the tears that ran down his cheeks seeped into Yoongi's gown. "Sometimes I think they're the best parents when I remember the good times and other times I think they're horrible when I remember the bad times. I'm not sure how I'm supposed to feel about them, it's hard to tell you what I think of them when I'm not so sure myself."

Yoongi wanted to tell Jimin he didn't need to say any more. He wanted to tell him that he had understood what Jimin was trying to convey about his parents without actually saying the specific words. But he could tell this was something Jimin needed to get off of his chest, a burden that he'd been keeping to himself for God knows how long. So he just stayed quiet and listened, never ceasing the gentle caresses to jimin's hand.

"What I do know is that I feel regret, I've felt it for such a long time now." Jimin's voice had begun to shake now, and Yoongi could feel the fearful and rapid thumping of Jimin's heart against his side. "The last time I had seen my parents, we had gotten into a very heated argument. I had snuck out to compete in a dance competition at my high school that took place after my curfew. I thought that if I won first place and brought back a trophy, I could make them proud! But they didn't care. My dad had yelled at me, called me worthless, disobedient and stupid. He said what's the point in having a first place trophy if it was won by an incompetent kid who can't follow basic rules.

I was so frustrated ! Everything I had been feeling up until that point just boiled over and for the first time, I stood up to them. The argument got out of control so quickly that I didn't know things would turn physical until it was too late." Jimin glanced up at Yoongi. "T-that was the last time I had seen them before I… before I…" Jimin's mouth opened and closed, lips forming a word that his voice just wouldn't utter. In that instance, jimin crumbled. He dropped his face against Yoongi's collarbone and clutched tightly at his shirt, outright sobbing.

"It's okay love." Yoongi comforted. He cupped the back of jimin's head with one hand and stroked his back with the other. Jimin had attempted to open up to him, but in the end, failed to say what he felt was so important Jimin had looked him dead I the eyes to say. "You can let it all out now, I'm here for you."

Hours must've passed, but Yoongi didn't dare move, didn't dare stop holding the small male in his arms. Jimin's crying had long since ceased and now they laid together in silence. His mind replayed what Jimin had told him over and over and even though he understood some of what Jimin tried to tell him, he couldn't fathom the internal struggle Jimin must've been feeling.

His parents sounded as if they were abusive, both physically and verbally and had been for awhile. Jimin must've thought that since his parents gave him things he wanted to make up for their abusive fits, that they felt remorse for the things they did. Then on the other hand, even afterwards they'd be abusive again which most likely made Jimin feel they weren't sincere.

Only having one set of parents that treated him two different ways must've made it hard for Jimin to distinguish his thoughts on them. He didn't believe his parents truly cared for him because they treated him so poorly, but at the same time he didn't want to demonize their characters by outright calling them abusive because they always 'made up for it.'

A person who didn't know how to define his parents to others when he himself had no clear definition of them.

"I can hear your brain working from down here."

Yoongi gave a light laugh. "I thought you were asleep."

"No, I'm just feeling the beat of your heart." Jimin tapped Yoongi's chest with a finger. "It's soothing."

'I can't feel the beat of yours.' "I'm glad it could bring you some peace."

"Hey Yoongi? Thank you..for listening to me." Jimin laid his hand flat against Yoongi's chest. "Thank you for approaching me at that table, thank you for everything you've done for me. I don't think I'll ever be able to fully express how meeting you has helped me."

"I could say the same for you." It was true. At one point Yoongi found associating with people near death was pointless and only resulted in heartache. Now he found himself wanting to spend every waking moment with Jimin and fearing the day he'd wake to find Jimin gone.

"This could be because of my mood right now..but I like you, I like you a lot Yoongi." Jimin admitted. "I think I might even love you."

Yoongi's heart leaped with joy and sorrow. The universe was truly cruel for having Jimin confess to feeling something that lasted forever, but they didn't have forever to share.

"Get some rest, Jimin." Yoongi nudged Jimin with his nose. "You've had an emotional day, don't let me being here for you make you think you feel something you may not really feel. You could just be in love with what I mean to you, not exactly me. Sleep on it okay? You can tell me again when you're in a better state of mind."

"I think I love you too Jimin."