Chapter Text
“Eugh…” Jimin let out a groan as he raised his forearms to block an attempted punch to his face. Learning martial arts long ago when he was really young granted him better reflexes, but he had a sight disadvantage now. He could only rely on his remaining senses, which forced him to focus on defense. It was only slightly working though, considering that he had taken quite a few blows.
He knew that he wouldn’t last against his assailants. The shock of being suddenly approached had caused him to drop his phone, and he was pushed towards a wall before he could attempt to locate and retrieve it. He didn’t know where his walking stick was either. Jimin really regretted walking through such an isolated path, it would be futile to shout for help.
But with his pride on the line, Jimin refused to go down without a fight.
“Don’t you think you’re being stupid now for someone that’s supposed to be smart ?” The person that threw the punch taunted, with a chorus of spiteful laughter by the others that seemed to be on standby. He could feel the rest surrounding Jimin to ensure that he couldn’t scurry away.
“You’re not being so smart either, are you, Lee Kangdo?” Jimin sneered back.
He just hoped that perhaps, someone would find him.
An unsettling feeling began welling inside Yoongi.
Something was definitely amiss. He didn't think that Jimin would be the type to suddenly hang up on another. And Yoongi definitely heard a foreign voice before the call had been cut. Perhaps it could have had been one of his friends? Or Jimin’s hand had slipped?
Despite his own self-reassurance that everything was okay, Yoongi couldn’t suppress the feeling that things weren’t fine.
The third year was caught in a dilemma. He had called Jimin in the locker room since he had a few minutes to spare before his training started, not expecting such a situation to present itself. He knew there wasn’t enough time to check up on Jimin, at least, not enough time if he chose to be on time for basketball training. The inter-high matches were going to start soon and he knew he’d have to be in tip top shape before that and train as much as time allowed but…
Part of him knew he was going to regret not searching for Jimin. What if something had really happened?
It was irrational though, he didn’t even know the younger’s exact location. And who was he to check up on the other personally, especially if Jimin might have been choosing to avoid him? He was the one that suddenly stopped showing up on his own accord, he might have wanted to be alone.
“What should I do…” Yoongi muttered, biting his lip with a strained expression. Sitting on the room’s benches in his team jersey and shorts that was half covered by a white, loose jacket, he couldn’t help but worry. Looking down at Jimin’s contact on his phone screen, he hesitated a moment before pressing the dial button again, putting the phone against his ear.
Ring… ring… ring… The user that you are trying to call is currently unavailable. Please try again later, or leave a voice message after the --
Yoongi grunted in frustration, ending the call. “Damn it!” he cried in exasperation. Shoving his phone in the pocket of his jacket, he stood up and stomped towards the door.
“Oi, training’s gonna start, where’re you heading off?” Yoongi heard one of his teammates call out.
“If Coach asks, just tell him I’m going to settle something. It’s urgent,” he hurriedly replied.
“Hey, Coach ain’t going to be happy--”
But Yoongi had already rushed out aimlessly, slamming the door behind him before his teammate could finish his sentence.
Deciding to take another path to avoid bumping into one man that would most definitely drag his sorry ass back to the basketball court for training, he recalled that there was a small alleyway at the back that allowed him to swerve away from the court. No one ever took that path, so even he had almost forgotten about it. Yoongi made a smart guess that Jimin would be on his way home, making up his mind to go through that path to head to the main gate and begin his search from that area.
Running towards the passageway, he hadn’t expected to hear boisterous jeering. He wasn’t that out of touch from humanity right? The whole school population knew that hardly anyone used this path because it was so musty and dark, and such a long detour from the main gates.
A single sweatdrop beaded on his forehead and trickled down his face as he saw a group of guys in a circle, obstructing his path. Yoongi forced his body to come to an abrupt stop before he could run into anyone of them. He couldn’t tell what was going on since his sight was blocked by the backs of the other boys, but he needed to go through.
Yoongi was slightly confused, but he was in a rush. “Hey, can you let me through?” He asked in an urgent tone, putting a hand on one of the boy’s shoulder that was in front of him.
“Huuuuh?” The other drawled, slowly turning his head around and shifting his body to look at Yoongi. The movement allowed his line of vision to clear, and Yoongi’s eyes widened at the sight of two familiar faces. All eyes and attention turned to him instead, every individual present wondering who it was that disrupted them. “Can’t you see we’re in the middle of--”
Yoongi didn’t wait for him to finish his sentence before he laid a solid punch on the other. He didn’t have to be a genius to put two and two together. The other boy clutched his cheek in pain, staggering back a few steps after the impact.
“What are you guys standing around for? Get him!” The boy in the centre, who Yoongi assumed was the leader, commanded. Yoongi swore that he had seen him before, and he racked his brain for where he had last seen the messy and wavy brown hair that covered most of the other’s forehead.
Yoongi was more concerned about the one on the ground though. It was a face that Yoongi looked forward to see everyday, a face that always invaded his thoughts. The face - Jimin’s face - was bloodied and bruised.
“B-but, Kangdo-hyungnim, t-that’s Min Yoongi,” he heard one of them stammer nervously.
“So? Don’t be cowards, he’s just one person,” the leader, Kangdo, hissed. “He’s nothing, really, I mean, he got a cream puff taken away under his nose.”
Ah, Yoongi thought, realizing why he was so familiar, the Thief™.
“You sick fucks!” The senior found himself raising his voice. “Who’d stoop so low to pick on someone that’s blind?!”
“Blind?” Kangdo chuckled menacingly. “So what if he is? You think someone that’s blind would be pathetic, would be the lowest of the lowest, but this little bitch,” he seethed while grasping and pulling on Jimin’s hair, forcing the other to gasp in pain. “He’s at the top. What a surprise, huh? Gets extra help and all, aces everything, everyone else is so accommodating to him. But no, someone elite should be at the top, I’m supposed to be at the top.”
Yoongi saw red. He hadn’t been this angry since his first year, when he had last gotten into a fight. Adrenaline pumped into his veins, and he was prepared to finish off everyone that had dared to lay a finger on sweet, kind Jimin. He knew it was wrong to fight, and the school wouldn’t be so kind on him the second time. But his blood didn’t stop boiling.
“Get your hands off him!” Yoongi roared.
“Get him, I said!” Kangdo shouted at the others. Yoongi could tell that his followers were hesitating in engaging an actual fight with him, but he supposed they were more concerned about the consequences of disobedience.
They charged at him anyway. And Yoongi let himself loose.
Yoongi panted heavily, looking at the huge mess that he had caused. He was confident of his strength, but there still had been quite a number of them, making them formidable opponents.
Blood trickled down his hands. Black and purple splotches began spreading over his knuckles and body, scratches decorating his pale cheek. He hadn’t come out of the fight unscathed this time, considering the fact that he focused on rendering his opponents unable to fight instead of delivering severe injuries to them. At least his opponents were on the ground whimpering in anguish either way.
He was aware that he was going to get into serious trouble. He had acted in the heat of the moment. But he pushed those thoughts aside, walking towards Jimin who was still on the ground, shuddering slightly.
“Are you alright, Minnie?” Yoongi rasped, crouching down. He placed a hand on the younger’s cheek, caressing it. It hurt him to see the other so scared, to see him with injuries littered across his body.
“I-I’m fine,” Jimin managed to utter. “Will be, anyway. But y-you, I could hear...”
The senior wrapped his arms around the other, enveloping him in a warm hug. No one was going to come yet anyway, so they had a little time before someone discovered that a fight took place here. “Don’t worry, everything will be okay. You’ll be okay. We should get you treated though. Doubt they’ll be bothering you anymore. How long were they disturbing you for?”
“Since the first day, to be honest,” Jimin murmured, sighing in relief as he melted into Yoongi’s hug. “My friends knew they were being annoying, but they haven’t really done anything physical until today.”
“Where are your friends then?” the third year asked.
“We aren’t really on talking terms now because they--” Jimin’s breath hitched, and he paused for a moment. “Oh God,” the younger continued, “They were right, you, you were lying to me. You’re not Namseok-hyung, there isn’t even such a person that exists, right?” Jimin let out a cold, emotionless laugh. “You had fun lying to me, right? You’re the same as them!” He shouted, pushing the elder away.
Yoongi was floored. He hadn’t realized that he would expose himself in this way. He really hadn’t thought this through. How was he going to explain himself?
“J-Jimin, I didn’t mean to, really,” Yoongi said, trying to reason with the younger. “It’s just that, you know.”
“No. No, I don’t know!” Jimin cried out. “I don’t know anything anymore. Why?”
“Listen, Jimin,” the third year took a deep breath, mustering his courage before continuing. “I’m sure you’ve heard of my reputation. Everyone knows. Even I know I don’t have a good rep. Even if it’s mostly untrue, no one bothers to listen.” Yoongi cupped the other boy’s face. “You were the best thing that happened to me in a long time. I didn’t want to risk losing you at all, so I decided on a whim to lie to you about my identity. I hope you can it in your heart to forgive me, I really didn’t mean to lie.”
There was a long, pregnant silence. So many thoughts were racing across Yoongi’s mind, he knew he was a goner.
“... I would’ve listened. I’m not like the others,” Jimin finally opened his mouth to speak.
Yoongi’s body slumped, losing his stiff posture. He was so relieved that the first year didn’t seem to completely hate him. “Yeah, I guessed so. I knew you would, but I was too stupid. You’re too nice for your own good,” Yoongi managed out a small smile. “But that’s why I like you.”
Another pause.
Shit, shit, shit! Mission abort! Yoongi thought.
Yoongi withdrew his hands from the other’s face immediately. He could see the younger’s face turn completely red, but he was in no position to laugh considering that his own face was the same color.
“You are really stupid!” Jimin huffed, cheeks puffed out to form a pout. “But I guess I’m stupid for liking someone this dumb too.”
Yoongi’s eyes widened. He didn’t expect that his feelings would be returned. And he hadn’t expected himself to be brave enough to lean in to gently kiss away the younger’s pout either, but he did anyway.
“So, uh, does this mean we’re dating now?” Yoongi chuckled nervously.
A huge, beautiful smile grew on Jimin’s face. “Hm, kiss me again and we’ll see!” the other laughed merrily, his expression vastly different from his previous, sombre mood.
Before Yoongi could lean in to give his beloved another kiss though, his teammates had found him. Yoongi completely forgot about his basketball training. “There he is, guys! Oi, Coach is super pissed, what were you-- Oh my God, Yoongi , what did you do?!”
“Oh shit.”
Yoongi did get into trouble, but not as deep as he thought it would be. He did think that he would have been expelled for the damage that he had done, but thankfully, he wasn’t. It was lucky that Yoongi had concentrated on knocking the first year students out instead of delivering really painful hits to vital spots (except for maybe that first punch to the face, but no one needed to know), so the school decide to just suspend him for a period of time since he wasn’t the provoker. Jimin had testified for Yoongi that he had been protecting him.
They did extend his toilet cleaning responsibilities too, though. He now had to clean those disgusting toilets until he graduated, as part of his punishment. Yoongi was in despair, since the time could have been used to go on dates and spend time with Jimin instead, but he was grateful that the school still let him represent the school in matches.
Yoongi, of course, was the MVP of the matches in inter-high basketball competition as usual. Even though he had missed some training sessions due to suspension and some injuries lasting from the fight, he now had a cute boyfriend that cheered for him every match. They clinched the gold medals for inter-high, going on to the nationals, but eventually lost to the nation’s powerhouse.
Yoongi had been scouted again for his talent, being offered a scholarship for music production if he was to continue playing for the university’s basketball team. It was for the top university of the Arts, and the elder had managed to convince his parents to let him pursue the path he desired with the help of Jimin. They too, had fallen in love with sweet and angelic Jimin.
As for Jimin, he made up with Taehyung and Jungkook. The three of them were in tears, hugging each other and smearing mucus on one another. Taehyung and Jungkook were all over Yoongi too, gushing about how he had rescued Jimin, though they did also threaten and warn him to never lie again.
“Bros before hoes, Jiminie!” Taehyung had said.
“Oi, I’m not a hoe!” Yoongi retorted in disbelief.
The three first years became fast friends with Hoseok, Namjoon, and even Seokjin when he had come back home to visit. “So that’s how the name ‘Namseok’ came about!” Jimin guffawed. The six of them jokingly ganged up against Yoongi as he groaned for the upteenth time, but Yoongi really couldn’t be happier.
Jimin did have his own insecurities, fearing that Yoongi would eventually leave him for someone better, someone that could actually see. But nevertheless, Yoongi was always there to reassure him of his love for the younger. They easily became the school’s power couple. No one, even Kangdo, dared to lay a finger on Jimin with Yoongi as his boyfriend.
They were in love, and it was all that mattered.
When Yoongi graduated, and had to move away for university, Jimin was definitely in distress. He loved Yoongi, and so he initiated a breakup, wanting Yoongi to be able to ‘go on with his life without a burden’.
The elder refused to accept the breakup and was in constant denial. They argued bitterly, screamed at each other at the top of their lungs, and shed so much tears. Both of them didn't want to let the other go, but they couldn't communicate well enough.
“Jin-hyung, I’m just scared,” Jimin admitted shakily. It was easier for the younger to confide in Seokjin because he had been in a long distance relationship for a couple of years. “You understand, don’t you? The feeling of not being able to know what your partner’s up to. I have it ten times worse because I literally can’t see what he’s doing already!”
“You just need to talk to Yoongi, Jimin, talk!” Seokjin encouraged. He understood that long distance relationships were hard, even more so for the younger, but he tried to help patch things up. “Communication is really important, he loves you, so you don't need to be insecure about anything. As long as you continue to trust Yoongi, you guys will be fine.”
“Is it really that simple?” Jimin whimpered from under his blanket. Seokjin had spared some time during the weekend to make his way back home to visit the two individually. He hadn’t seen Yoongi this happy in a while, so he really wanted them to get back together.
The elder was honest with Jimin. “No,” he confessed, “It won’t be. But why stop trying? You need to fight for your own love.”
It wasn’t as easy for Seokjin to get to Yoongi.
Namjoon and Hoseok had tried to force themselves into his room, but they didn’t succeed. Seokjin tried too, but even then Yoongi wouldn’t let the eldest in.
He ended up kicking down Yoongi’s door and screaming since the weekend was almost up. “You fool. Yoongi, you're the world's biggest idiot, can you stop moping and go get your man back?!”
With the help of their friends (especially a raging Jin-hyung), the two ended up getting back together.
Love does grows with every hiccup along the way.
“This is such a huge bed, hyung!” Jimin exclaimed as he put his walking stick aside and started rolling around on Yoongi’s bed. Yoongi had brought Jimin over to the small apartment that he had rented, which was slightly nearer to his university. His first year in university hadn’t started yet, so he reckoned that he’d invite the younger over first. “Did my darling gain too much weight after the buffet we had yesterday?” Jimin teased impishly, crawling over to Yoongi to wrap his arms around him when he felt a certain area of the bed dip down slightly.
“Don’t be silly, a single bed would’ve been too squeezy for the both of us,” Yoongi replied, squishing the other’s cheeks in retaliation. “Would be hard to cuddle then.”
Jimin was going to have to get used to his future residence anyway.
“Huh? What does that mean?” Jimin cocked his head to the right, looking slightly confused.
“The best law school is near my current university. You work really hard, Minnie. I know you’ll be able to get in easily, so I decided to just invest in a queen sized bed,” Yoongi explained.
“Awww, hyung!” Jimin gushed, his cheeks tainted pink. “Are you asking me to move in with you already?”
Yoongi leaned in to place a kiss on Jimin’s nose. “You know.”
“I know, hyung.”
Despite how busy Yoongi was in university, he made sure to make an effort to constantly call the younger to make sure that he was doing fine in school. Jimin’s gotten addicted to being loved, after all, with Yoongi always spoiling him.
Both knew that Jimin’s insecurities would threaten to arise again at some points of time, seeing as Yoongi was rather popular in his new school (his old reputation had been left behind, thank goodness). But Jimin made an effort to speak to Yoongi before the monsters could take over completely. They wouldn’t be gone forever, but their love made those incidents rarer.
Taking into account Seokjin’s advice, both sides made an effort, and so their love continued to blossom as they supported one another emotionally and mentally.
It wasn’t long before Jimin graduated as well. It didn’t come as a surprise when his results had granted him a spot in the top 1% of his cohort, allowing him to pass with flying colors.
What came as a surprise though, was an offer given to him to participate in a risky experiment.
Scientists had pulled through, inventing a new technology that could fully return someone’s eyesight after they had lost it in an accident. It was still in a trial stage though, and it came with its own risks, but if it was successful, Jimin would be able to get his sight back. The younger had been one of the rare few that was selected.
“Are you sure you want to go through with this?” Taehyung had asked.
“I’m sure,” Jimin gave his friend a gentle smile. “I know I’ll still be taken care of even if things don’t go well.”
“What.” Yoongi responded apathetically to Jimin’s idea.
“I said, please bring me to a hair salon, Yoongi hyung!” Jimin repeated, mustering the cutest voice he could. “I want to dye my hair silver!”
“...No.”
“What!? Why?” Jimin cried out in shock. It had been a long time since Yoongi had actually said no to him.
“That means that your black fluffy hair will be gone forever! Why do you even want to dye it anyway, you’re already pretty as you are,” Yoongi tried to reason with the other. No way was Jimin going to get rid of his natural hair. Over his dead body.
Jimin snorted. “Don’t be dramatic, hyung. I can dye it black back in the future. If the experiment’s successful, my eyes won’t be dull in colour anymore.” Jimin’s face flushed a little in embarrassment. “But I want something to remind me of the colour. It’s one of the first things that you said to me was beautiful when we met, after all. So yes, silver!”
Reluctantly, Yoongi gives in and brings the younger to a hair salon, watching in tears as Jimin’s lovely, black hair became silver.
“Wow, you’re a grandpa now, Minnie,” was the first thing Yoongi said to the other when the hairstylist was done.
“Stop it, hyung, it’s silver, not grey!” Jimin exclaimed. He knew that the elder was just joking though. Yoongi couldn’t stop gushing over how lovely he looked after, completely forgetting about his natural hair color.
Jimin didn’t know that Yoongi had dyed his own hair silver to match with him too though, wanting to keep it a surprise.
The day of the surgery. Jimin was in a bout of jitters, and so were everyone else.
His mother had called, crying because she wasn’t able to leave work but reassured her baby boy that he would be fine, and that she would be there to see him as soon as she could. His friends had called, all taking time off to rush down from various parts of the country. And his lover had refused to let go of his hand the whole time before his surgery, even wanting to go in with him to the operating theatre. Yoongi was ultimately held back by Jungkook though.
Jimin was knocked out by the surgeons with general anesthesia once the operation started, so he didn’t have a grasp of time at all. But for Yoongi and his friends, time seemed to as if it could stretch on to an eternity.
When the doors of the operating theatre finally opened, everyone present stood up instantly and rushed over to the nurse that walked out of the room calmly.
“I understand that all of you want to see him, but I can only allow one to go in first,” she emphasized on the word. All held their breaths as she went on to explain. “The experiment was a success,” she beamed as everybody began cheering, “But the patient’s body hasn’t quite adjusted to his new surroundings yet. Which is why I can only allow one person in while we remove the bandages from his eyes.
The group of friends murmured amongst themselves. “I hope I’m not being too selfish, but I want to be the first to see him,” Yoongi declared after being initially silent.
His friends simply laughed at him, Hoseok patting his back. “Of course, hyung,” Taehyung chirped. “I’m sure that’s what Jimin wants too. But I’m gonna be the second person, okay?”
“Hey! I want to be the second!” Jungkook protested.
The two continued to bicker while Yoongi went into the operating theatre, chuckling to himself as he faintly heard Seokjin intervene and saying that he’d be the second if the two youngest continued to argue.
Jimin had been in darkness for a long time now. He had grown to be used to the absence of light. There were time when darkness made him feel lonely, but other times it had become his friend, providing him comfort.
Even though it had been unfortunate when the darkness had enveloped him, it did allow him to become so much closer to Taehyung and Jungkook. It allowed him to go to a school where Yoongi was in, allowed him to meet the elder. It gave Jimin chances to make more friends, to become who he was today.
He would be lying if he said he didn’t miss the light though.
When his bandages were finally removed, he opened his eyes slowly and carefully. There stood a man beside him, his beloved, with his silver undercut, his cat-like, sharp eyes, his button nose and his gummy smile gracing his face.
“Hi, Minnie,” the man said gently as sunlight shone in through the window, and Jimin swore the other was almost glowing.
“Hi, Yoongi-hyung,” Jimin replied bashfully.
And at last, Jimin saw the light.