It's a visible fountain of emotions filling Jimin's entire being, all at once, apparent denial at what his eyes are so vividly perceiving, but deep down knowing that what he sees isn't a mere hallucination, that the smile on Jeongguk's face is real as the ground beneath them. Even still, as acceptance appears to be gradually taking over him, Jimin is slow to react to the situation - again, because of that strong, practically overwhelming realization that this isn't just something in his head.

Even still, the boy makes eye contact with Taehyung who's standing behind Jeongguk, as if to confirm whether or not there is actually someone in the wheelchair. That it's not empty and he's just lost his mind again.

Jeongguk watches as a tear spills over Jimin's cheek. The he feels Taehyung tap his shoulder, so he strains himself a bit to look around while wiping his own eyes.

"I'm sure you have a lot to say to each other, so I'm gonna step out for a bit." Taehyung smiles encouragingly, glancing at Jimin for a second before returning his full attention to his friend. "Take your time, alright? I'll-...you know what, here, I'll just leave my phone with you, and you can call your mom whenever you're ready, okay? I'll be waiting with your family."

From behind, Taehyung reaches his arms around Jeongguk and hugs him to the best of his ability, then steps back so that Jimin can push the wheelchair into the house - he does so slowly, shakily, his entire body is shaking and Jeongguk can feel himself steadily reaching the same point.

Eventually he makes it inside and Jimin closes the door behind them.

And he breaks down.

Falls to his knees, almost immediately, hands covering his face as he erupts into a fit of tears and sobs right in front of Jeongguk. Unrestrained. Genuine. Everything hitting him at once in one full swing. His shoulders tremble, fingernails gripping the skin of his palms so tightly Jeongguk is certain he'll see them draw blood soon. It tears at his heart. Most of all, because he knows in his heart, that at the core of Jimin's tears is relief. Just pure, unadulterated relief.

It lasts for a little while. And sadly, due to his current condition, there's not much Jeongguk can do to stop Jimin, he can't so simply stand up from his wheelchair and lift Jimin up, he can't embrace him, he can only scarcely brush the crown of the boy's head with his fingertips.

By the time Jimin finally raises his head, his eyes are red, cheeks stained entirely from the tears which still don't seem to have stopped surfacing. But the boy manages to make the effort, enough to meet Jeongguk's gaze again. Still kneeling on the floor, Jimin takes the other's hand and gives it a squeeze.

"Since when?"

The sound of his voice is enough to shatter Jeongguk's heart. He takes a moment to get a hold of himself - to an extent, at least. "I don't...I don't know...ex-...exactly," he says softly. "It'th been...a few day-th, I know, but...not sure how many thinthe I woke up..."

Jimin's lips quiver as a smile is attempted. It breaks quickly. "You've got a lisp..."

"Yeah..." Jeongguk releases a heavy sigh. "It'th...really annoying, and it'th...I mean, my word-th don't...they don't come to me as eathily...tho that'th...fru-th...fruthtra-...ting..." Noticing how this seems to upset the other boy, he forces out a laugh in hopes of making light of the circumstances. But Jimin's face only continues to fill with such overpowering sympathy.

"Can you walk at all?"

"They told me it...uhm...it'th not per-...uh, perma-..." A prick at his brain. Jeongguk gives up trying to find the word to avoid an internal panic. "It'th not forever," he soon says. "They'll heal...bethide-th, the wheelchair ithn't tho bad."

"Are you just saying that?"

"No, really, it'th...it'th not. I'll get uth'd to it. It'th okay."

There's reluctance to believe it. Jimin scans Jeongguk's face, taking it in entirely, every inch, every feature but dwelling the most on the eyes which are fixed solely on him. He doesn't want to stop crying. Jeongguk can see that so clearly in those glistening pupils, wide, flooded with ambivalence - wishing to be nothing more than happy at this moment, but being struck by everything bottled up within these past couple of weeks.

His grip on Jeongguk's hand has loosened. Yet somehow it holds him just as firmly.

"Jimin-"

"Jeongguk, I'm so sorry."

He can't say he didn't expect this. Given Jimin's personality, it's only natural for him to apologize, to feel guilt for not being the one at the short end of the stick, despite not having done anything deserving of that punishment in the first place. The boy is just torn. Torn up inside, and he'd do or say anything to take away the feeling.

Jeongguk wraps his fingers around Jimin's hand. "Pleathe don't...apologithe..."

"But it could have been avoided," the other boy chokes out. A ragged breath falls through his lips. "You came here at such a bad time...but it wasn't your fault, I can't be mad at you, I could never be mad at you."

A bit slow to process the fast-spoken words, Jeongguk furrows his brow. "Why...why wath it a...bad time...?"

"My mom, Jeongguk," Jimin answers bitterly, "she'd found out recently about you and, and that you were the main reason I didn't want to talk to her anymore, and she didn't like it, she hated it, she hated you, everything you did for me, the fact that I was starting to accept who I was instead of what she wanted, Jeongguk, and she had already been losing her mind because of her divorce and the scandals she was involved in, but even still, it's not your fault, I'm so sorry..."

He rests his head on their hands, heartsore and so, so tired. Even without Jimin stating it directly Jeongguk can gather the gist of the story.

Jimin's mother had been the one to hit him. Now that he thinks about it, the fact doesn't come as the biggest shock, either. But it still affects him.

He places his other hand atop Jimin's head and entangles his fingers in the boy's hair. In this otherwise silent house, the only sounds present right now are coming from their beating hearts and Jimin's muffled crying.

"...it'th not your fault..."

He feels the grip on his hand tighten once more.

"You're not...your mother, Jimin...you're your own perth-...on...you've alway-th been..."

It hurts both his head and back to do so, but Jeongguk strains himself enough to lean over so that he can kiss Jimin's head. And it acts as a trigger to the boy, albeit a slow one. Ever so gradually, Jimin raises his head again, peels his hand away from Jeongguk's only to reposition it on the boy's cheek before lifting himself up to kiss him.

Delicately, as though dealing with a precious, fragile treasure. He kisses Jeongguk's lips, softly, tenderly, then brushes aside the boy's bangs so he can kiss his forehead.

"I was so scared..." Jimin sniffles as his hand trails Jeongguk's cheek over again. "Every single night I had trouble falling asleep, 'cus I kept on worrying you wouldn't ever wake up, or that you'd forget about me..."

"You and Tae both," Jeongguk says in reply, cracking a sad smile. "But I didn't...I could never...completely forget about you..."

Jimin mimics that sad smile. His thumb caresses Jeongguk's skin.

Such vivid, heartwarming relief.

"Do you need anything to drink?" Jimin asks after a moment. "Or I can get you something to eat, your face looks so pale..."

"Your-th, too."

"I don't need anything-"

"Pleathe?"

Jimin's eyes seem to change expressions from that gentle whisper alone. Affection pours out from them. "Would you be mad..?"

Jeongguk tilts his head in question. "If?"

"If I said your lisp is really cute..."

"No." His smile broadens a bit. "If you think it'th cute, I won't...I won't mind it ath much. There'th jutht one...uhm, major problem I have...with it..."

"What's that?"

"It'll be...hu-...humil-...iating...to athk for a kith."

He wanted to make Jimin laugh. Before even saying it, he hoped with all of his being it would make the boy laugh, in spite of the underlying frustration he spoke of earlier being genuine - above that, his desire for Jimin's happiness sat at such a high pedestal.

And to his delight Jeongguk's ears are soon greeted by the sweet sound of a giggle which, although there was an attempt to suppress it, manages to escape, anyway. Afterwards Jimin looks at the other with apologetic eyes. Jeongguk stares back fondly.

"Kith me, Jimin."

Another suppressed giggle accompanies blushing cheeks. "Stop..."

"Pleathe? Kitheth? For me??"

"Stop, I don't wanna laugh..."

"Kith me or I'll cry."

A sigh of exasperation leaves him now, and soon Jimin gives in to once again capture Jeongguk's lips between his own. Sweetly. Choosing still to remain kneeling beside the wheelchair rather than finding comfort from some other place. He gives slow kisses, setting fire to Jeongguk's face and chest, pushing the mere thought of the boy's headache to the back of his mind. Jimin's lips are the only thing he can think about.

That is, until he hears a soft whimpering and opens his eyes just in time to see a tear fall from Jimin's own.

"No more crying..."

Jimin sniffles. "I'm happy, I promise..."

"Are you?"

"I am. Promise I am." A peck on the cheek. "You're here, you're here, I thought I'd be missing you forever but you're here, the only boy I've ever loved, and you're here."

Love.

Jeongguk is powerless to the feeling that word evokes in him. Apparently no more crying would have to wait. Just for the day, there wouldn't be a limit, he says to himself.

"I love you, too, Jimin..."

He takes Jimin's hand just to press it against his chest.

"Thome day thoon...you'll have to move to Daegu...will you?"

"I will." The boy nods his head repeatedly, then opens his arms and moves forward a bit so that Jeongguk can lean into them. "I promise I will soon..."

"Good. I'll be counting the dayth."

"Me, too. Can I ask something now?"

"Mhm."

"Did I get through to you? In your dreams..."

"You did. I heard you...loud and clear, Jimin..."

—

End.