Chapter Text
~ Back against the thin futon pressed to the wooden floors, Jimin wondered where he could be right now if his legs could work, wondered how far he could’ve gotten by now. Maybe he’d have made it to Seoul, seen the city, the skyscrapers — maybe he would have met people his age, people with stories and dreams, people like him.
Jimin woke up in Yoongi’s arms, and he watched his boyfriend sleep for a while before waking him up with soft kisses. Yoongi inhaled and groaned before he opened his eyes, a small smile playing on his lips.
“Time to get up, hyung.” Jimin whispered softly. “It’s going to be a busy day.”
Yoongi grunted and rolled lazily over Jimin. “Too busy for…?”
After a quick handjob, Jimin playfully fought his way from Yoongi’s embrace and climbed into his wheelchair.
“Hyung, I have to hurry now or I'll be late!” Jimin whined as he rushed to the bathroom.
“Sorry babe! I’ll make your breakfast to make it up to you.” Yoongi called out as he finally rolled out of bed.
“Thank you!” Jimin chirped. He couldn’t really be angry when his whole body was still tingling from his morning orgasm. He washed up and dressed as quickly as he could, then wheeled into the kitchen where Yoongi was pouring coffee in his pajamas. He handed Jimin a carafe and a lunch bag. “I put the cupcakes in the lunch bag. I’ll see you at the studio after work?”
“Yeah,” Jimin gathered his keys and phone as he wheeled towards the door. “Can you bring the flowers and my change of clothes, please hyung?”
“Mm-hm,” Yoongi grunted sleepily as he leaned over a pot on the stove. He had spent most of yesterday cooking for the party they would host later. Jimin knew he would probably keep cooking and prepping until the last minute. He felt bad for not lending a hand in the preparations more, but Yoongi insisted that Jimin’s job was too important. Jimin had recently started a paid position at the aquarium, and even though he wasn’t making as much as Yoongi, he appreciated that Yoongi treated his job with such importance.
In any case, Jimin had done most of the cleaning and decorations, and he felt some satisfaction as he looked around at the festive atmosphere in their apartment. There was a lot to celebrate, and Yoongi had been generous with the funding for the party.
As Jimin reached for the door, he turned back to look at the scene. He paused to appreciate everything, and decided to take out his phone to snap a picture of the decorated apartment and Yoongi leaning over a pot in the kitchen, shirtless in pajama pants, his face beautifully outlined by the morning sun streaming through the colorfully bannered windows of their home. Jimin looked at the picture on his phone, and knew it would be his new favorite.
He heard Yoongi call out to him, “Bye love.”
“Bye!” Jimin called out as he pushed himself into the hall.
~ It was in moments like this that Jimin would let his mind wander out as far as it could, let it trace what if’s to near insanity. What if Jimin had requested a different restaurant for his twelfth birthday, literally any other one. What if they’d just been stopped by one more red light. What if his father had driven faster, or slower, or if they had left earlier or later — anything but the speed and time of departure that put their vehicle in the middle of an intersection as a semi barreled forward without any hesitation — any remorse as it tore the front of their car, crushed the window, killed both of Jimin’s parents in the time it took Jimin to gasp — in the same amount of time it took that same collision to crush his legs and steal his very ability to run away from the situation he was in now.
Jimin took the elevator to the ground floor, greeting and waving at neighbors as he wheeled towards the exit.
“Hi, Jimin!”
“Hello!”
“Off to the aquarium?”
“Yep!”
“Have a good day!”
“You too!”
“Here, let me get the door for you.”
“Thanks!”
Jimin pushed himself to the bus stop, and stood waiting. He recognized some of the other passengers, regulars who took the same route, and they chatted about their weekend plans as they waited for the bus. When they got on, Jimin greeted the driver, who knew him by name by now. Once he was in place, he took out his book Into the Magic Shop, which he was almost done with. Another passenger asked him about it, and Jimin eagerly explained how the author researched the health benefits of kindness, drawing other riders into the conversation.
Jimin got off the bus, waving good-bye to everyone, and he pushed himself into the aquarium through the staff door.
~ What if.
“Hi, Jimin!”
“Hello!”
The staff greeted him as he pushed himself to the office area. He spent some time at his desk, catching up on emails, before he grabbed a notebook and made his way into the rehabilitation center. He checked in on some of the tanks, making sure the sensors were reading correctly, noting observations of the animals. He administered treatments into some of the tanks, and made notes of which ones needed to be re-ordered or replaced. He spent a few hours just spending time with some of the animals that liked to socialize, a little purple octopus recovering from a fungal infection and a young otter with an injured leg.
He stopped working for lunch, gathering with his co-workers in the breakroom. It was a co-worker’s birthday, and they all surprised him with a card and a little present. Jimin brought out his cupcakes, and they put candles in one to sing to him. The atmosphere was jovial, and everyone lingered for a while before returning to work.
Jimin did some research at his desk, finishing up a report that he was writing about one of the treatments they were trying for the little octopus. After looking over Jimin’s data, the manager suggested that maybe they could publish the findings. He was nervous about his writing, so he had asked Yoongi and Jin to look over the first draft and offer suggestions based on their own writing experience. He finished the edits, and Jimin felt a thrill as he sent in the first draft to his supervisor.
Jimin looked at the time. He had to leave soon to get to the studio for the show. He went into the rehabilitation area to look over the tanks and gather one last round of data, then gathered up his things to leave. He waved good-bye to his co-workers, and pushed himself towards the bus station. He had to take a different bus, so he looked up the new route on his phone while listening to his (and Taehyung’s) favorite music group 875.
While on the bus, he texted Yoongi to let him know he was on the way, then read more of the Magic Shop until he arrived at his stop. He got off the bus then pushed himself to the studio. He saw a line in front of the door, but just as he was about to get in the line he saw Yoongi walking towards him smiling.
~ He wouldn’t be here if that was the case, living with a distant uncle he’d never even known before the cruel man showed up to take him home after months spent in a hospital with a bright light staring down and the soul-crushing awareness that Jimin’s life had essentially ended despite the fact his stupid lungs continued to expand and his pathetic heart continued to beat.
“Hey babe!” Yoongi was dressed up in a white button up shirt left open at the collar and tight black pants with holes at the knees. As usual, he looked amazing. He had three bunches of flowers in his arms “We can go straight in. They put us on the special guest list.”
“Ah, okay.” Yoongi gave Jimin the flowers and pushed him towards the front, and the staffperson there waved them through.
“Tae said we could meet them in the dressing room, and you can change there.” Yoongi pushed him through the studio where dancers were warming up and stretching. “Do you want to give them the flowers now or later?”
“Later!” Jimin said immediately. He wanted to surprise them after the show.
“Alright then. I’ll meet you at our seats in the front row.” Yoongi leaned down for a quick kiss before he walked towards the auditorium. Jimin continued into the dressing room where he saw Jungkook, Taehyung and Hobi, all preparing for the show. Jimin changed out of his work clothes and into something nicer, a shimmering black blouse over black leather pants with a choker. Taehyung insisted on putting some makeup on him, and when Jimin looked in the mirror, he found himself impressed. Maybe he would buy some make-up for himself too. They chatted for a bit, and then Jimin wished them luck and joined Yoongi in the seating area.
Jin and Namjoon had arrived also, and were sitting next to Yoongi. They had apparently decided to dress up for the show, and they both looked like models. Jimin joined just as the show was about to start, and he was only able to say quick hellos before the first performers came on stage.
The show was good, and all of the performances were well done. Jungkook, Taehyung and Hobi were the last performances, and judging by the crowd’s reaction theirs was the most anticipated. The three had matching outfits, and Taehyung wore a prosthetic decorated with beautiful patterns while Jungkook and Hobi wore leggings that had a matching pattern. All three danced with canes, twirling them and using them for balance during some more acrobatic moves. Jimin almost couldn’t tell that Taehyung was wearing a prosthetic leg, his movements were so fluid. They were perfectly synchronized, moving to the music with expert form. They all seemed locked into the moment, looking confidently out into the crowd as they moved. By the time the performance ended, the whole crowd was screaming in support and jumped to their feet after the final beat. Yoongi handed the bouquets to Jimin, who pushed forward to the edge of the stage to hand them up to his friends.
~ He wouldn’t have had to leave Busan to wind up in this hostel in Daegu, where the walls were thin and the design purposely ancient, a facade of a cultural artifact to bring in more people who were passing through. Jimin wouldn’t be stuck indoors day in and day out in a small undecorated room with no friends and no allies.
The show ended soon after that. When Jungkook, Taehyung and Hobi came out of the dressing rooms, Jimin introduced them to Jin and Namjoon. Jungkook stared transfixed at Namjoon and Taehyung immediately attached himself to Jin’s arm, and the two older men seemed somewhat surprised but not necessarily uncomfortable with that. After mingling with some of the other dancers, the seven made their way back to Yoongi’s apartment, where Jimin and Yoongi served up the food they had prepared. Everyone agreed it was incredibly delicious.
~ He wouldn’t be lying on the floor of his bedroom right now with a man he doesn’t know to hover over him, one of Jimin’s useless legs held in his arm as he pivoted forward with weak thrusts, perspiration matting his wrinkled brow as he dove forward to collect every ounce he’d paid for of Jimin’s remaining soul and life.
After eating, the seven boys made their way to the living room, where they sat around talking and drinking Yoongi’s good whiskey, telling stories and laughing. The seven seemed to get along like old friends, and as the night wore on they only seemed to get more familiar. Namjoon was sitting on the edge of the dinner table, trying to teach Jungkook how to twitch his pecs. Hoseok and Yoongi were having a dance-off, and Yoongi was actually winning to the delight of Jin and Taehyung who were cuddling on the couch as they watched, offering commentary and giggling. When Yoongi noticed Jimin standing apart, he smiled and extended his hand for him to join.
~ In moments like this there wasn’t much else left to do than let his mind wander, let it travel as far away as it could get and hope that it never returned to him. That maybe it alone could escape this fate if he couldn’t.
Jimin pushed himself forward, to dance with his friends, in the home that he had found with a handsome and sweet man named Yoongi. He had the feeling that there would be many nights just like this one, full of warmth and happiness. In the moment, he was fully released from the weight of his past, floating in the pretty little spaces between smiles and giggles and hugs and kisses.
Life was good. There might have been a time when it wasn’t, but in that beautiful moment, Jimin completely forgot about his past. He was too busy enjoying life.