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A sigh escaped a young boy’s lips as he looked up from where he’s staring on the ground. If he were to choose between going through town and staying on the hill where he lived, he would choose the latter without hesitation. Unfortunately for him, he can’t live without sustenance, which he happened to ran out the day before. He battled with himself whether going down from the hill and into the town is worth it but his grumbling stomach won’t let up, so here he was, standing under the archway leading to the town, hands clutching the hem of his tattered shirt. He’ll survive this. He’s just going to lower his head and pretend he doesn’t hear anything.
Just like the other times…
Steeling himself, the white haired boy, whose name is Yoongi, took a shaky step forward, lips bitten raw from nervousness. He made it into five steps before he was hit with something hard.
The boy hissed, hands automatically clutching the part where he was hit. Looking down, he found a pebble. Not too big but surely hard enough to hurt.
“Yo, freak!”
The boy flinched at the tone, immediately backing away from the group of boys, looking pretty much his age, and cowering to himself. The boys seemed to take delight at the other’s trembling form, one of them stepping forward and grabbing the other’s arm harshly before throwing him on the ground. Yoongi gasped at the sudden contact, letting out a pained whimper as his knees and palm made contact with the rough brick, scraping it.
The boys laughed as tears prickled at the corner of Yoongi’s eyes. He bit his lower lip, trying to stop the tears because no, he isn’t going to cry in front of this guys and no, because he should be used to this already. This had happened numerous times already, too many he had lost count. This happens everytime he steps foot into this town. One would think he won’t be bothered by the glares, the snide remarks, and the shoves he receives from the townspeople with the amount of times these had happened.
But Yoongi isn’t and he doesn’t think he will ever be.
So Yoongi does what he’s always good at.
He ran away.
♪ ♬ ~ ♬ ♪
Jimin hissed as he bumped into another wall, narrowly escaping getting his nose flattened by a brick. He reached out in front of him, his hand making contact with something rough and he sighed. He should really be careful where he was going.
Walking a few steps backward and some to the right, he started swinging his cane around, making sure there’s nothing in front of him before walking forward again. He thinks he’s in an alley, seeing as he couldn’t feel the heat of the sun, probably getting blocked by the tall houses.
Jimin was born into darkness. He never had a chance to see what the world looked like. He wasn’t given the chance to know how the sky looked at the morning, how the river looks like on a bright afternoon, how the flower field blooms on spring, heck, he doesn’t even know how he looks like. When Jimin was a child, back when his parents are still around, they would tell him that he is beautiful, with hair as dark as the night sky, plump lips that looked as soft as the clouds, cheeks as soft as cotton and eyes the color of chocolate, albeit dull with the absence of any light on them, that turns into crescents when he smiles. Not that Jimin would know. He has never seen any of the things his parents had compared him with anyway.
Many called him unfortunate without the ability to use his eyes. Jimin thought so too at first, but he’s come to not mind his disability because there are perks to his blindness. Since Jimin can’t see physically, his other senses are heightened. His nose can distinguished a flower just by smelling it, can know what part of town he is purely by his sense of hearing and touch, and without the ability to see the facial expressions and non-verbal gestures, Jimin has come to master the ability to judge a person by the way they speak and the tone of their voice. By doing just that, Jimin can at least put a face to the person he was talking to.
He was rounding a corner when a person bumped into him, sending him toppling backwards from the impact. He heard a thud not far from him, a soft groan followed by a sniff. Jimin blinked his dull eyes, turning his head on the direction of the sound.
“Are you okay?” he asked, his hand finding his cane, using it to right himself into a standing position and stepping forward to where he thinks the stranger fell.
There’s a whimper coming from the said person and Jimin halted his steps. The person sounds like he was crying. He hears shuffling from the other and a sound that can only mean that the person had stood up.
“I-I’m sorry…”
It’s a boy, Jimin’s come to realized, breath hitching at the softness of the voice, laced with fear and sadness. He reached a hand forward, not really knowing what he was doing, hearing the boy gasped in fear and before Jimin knew it, the other had ran away, passing him.
“Wait!”
His voice fell into deaf ears though, for the footsteps never faltered until it’s completely gone. Jimin stared into the direction the boy had gone through, thoughts filled with the boy’s soft voice and the smell of white lilies.
♪ ♬ ~ ♬ ♪
Yoongi didn’t stop running until he reached his home. His tears had long fell even before he reached the foot of the hill. He panted, lungs burning as his legs gave out under him and he fell to the ground, the wind blowing softly as if consoling him. The boy sobbed, rubbing at his eyes. He knew he shouldn’t have gone to town. He knew that it’s not a good idea, but he was hungry and he needed to get food. That’s all he wanted. Why does the gods hate him so much?
Yoongi isn’t stupid. He knew why the townspeople hated him. Looking down, he saw his pale hands and frowned. All the people born in the town has honeyed skin, their hair and eyes dark, their physique either petite or muscly. Yoongi stared down at himself. He was the complete opposite of all that.
His hair is white just like snow; his eyes are as blue as the ocean, his skin as pale as paper, and his frame, skinny. He knows he’s different, but he knows it isn’t his fault he was born like this either. So why does everyone treat him so bad?
Because people tend to hate those who are different from them…
Yoongi squeezed his eyes shut, rubbing at them forcefully. He can’t cry forever. He stood up, wincing at the sting coming from where he scraped his knee and palm. He needs to get them cleaned and bandaged.
Limping his way, to the nearby river, Yoongi’s mind went to the boy he crashed into earlier. The way he tried to reached out to Yoongi and the way his voice sounds sincerely concerned for him.
Yoongi shook his head, clearing his thoughts. It’s impossible that someone would care about him. That’s just unbelievable. Yoongi buried the thought of someone possibly caring for him in the back of his head as he washed his wounds.
He won’t think about it. It will only make him sad anyway.
♪ ♬ ~ ♬ ♪
It’s only a week later when Yoongi found himself under the archway of the town again. He dreaded coming back to the town but he was starving. He had only eaten the small fruits and berries he found in the forest but they weren’t enough to satisfy his hunger. He tried catching a fish on the river but it only led to failure because, one, he’s too skinny to even hold down a fish, and two, he doesn’t really know how to catch one anyway. So here he is, steeling himself again.
He promised himself he wouldn’t cry or run away again, he can do this, and with that thought in mind, Yoongi stepped into town, praying to all the gods nobody would hurt him this time.
The sky is already painted in a soft orange hue by the time Yoongi was able to get everything he needed. Sure, he was exhausted, having to work himself all morning and afternoon to get enough money to buy himself food. He’s a little grateful that the worst he received today is a sneer, a lot of glares on his way, and maybe a hard shove from the owner of that inn he was tasked to scrubbed the bathroom off. It’s all good though, it’s not like it’s anything new. Yoongi is just happy he would have enough to last for two to three weeks before he have to come back again.
He can finally go home and rest, forget about the town for a while. Yoongi smiled at the thought, almost skipping once he saw the archway leading out of town.
If there is one thing Yoongi should learn though, it’s to never celebrate early. Yoongi came to an abrupt stop as the boys from last time blocked his path. Evil grins plastered on their faces as they eyed the pale boy.
“Well, look who’s back in town!” one of them said, arms crossed in front of him. Yoongi looked away, clutching the basket of food he was holding tightly.
“The freak!” another one shouted as all of them laughed, pointing at him. He can feel some of the townspeople crowding around him, seemingly enjoying the show. Yoongi bit his lip.
He just really wanted to go home.
“Oh, what’s this? You went shopping?” the boy from earlier grabbed the basket Yoongi was holding, snatching it from the pale boy. Yoongi gasped, trying to reach for it.
“P-Please give it b-back…”
“Shut up, you monster!” the boy glared at him, shoving the poor boy on the ground as everyone laughed.
“Why do you even need food? Freaks don’t need to feed, right?”
All Yoongi can do is look down and bite his lip in an effort to hold his tears.
“Monsters like you don’t deserve this food.”
“You should just starve yourself until you die!”
“Yeah, do us all a favor and die already!”
“You’re an ugly monster.”
“Die!”
“Ugly!”
“Die! Die!”
“Disappear already.”
Yoongi sobbed, squeezing his eyes shut. He knows. He knows he doesn’t deserve to live. He knows he’s ugly. He knows he’s not normal. He knows.
“Hey, do you know why rats are hated?”
Yoongi sniffled.
“Because they’re dirty.”
“Like you.”
Laughter followed the statement. Yoongi can feel the mocking stares the townspeople are giving him, can feel the pleasure coming from everyone as the ‘freak of the town’ is being tormented.
Yoongi tried to make himself smaller, wanting to hide himself from everyone, from everything.
“Then tell me.”
Yoongi’s eyes snapped open, shooting up to find a boy, probably his age, standing in front of him, facing the bad guys.
What?
How?
Why?
“For the sake of me who cannot see.” The boy continues, his voice cold as he took a step forward. Everyone went quiet, laughter abruptly dying down, watching the exchange.
“This act of unreasonable discrimination…is the rat truly dirtier?” the unknown person turned his head, speaking not only to the boys in front of him, but to everyone in the vicinity.
The people looked away, murmuring to themselves. Yoongi stared up at the boy, his savior, gaping. Why? Why did this person stood up for him?
Why for Yoongi?
One of the guys stepped forward, face red from humiliation.
“Y-You-“
“Never do it again!!!” Yoongi’s savior yelled, stunning everyone into silence.
Nobody talked for a while, the boy’s words ringing on their ears. Slowly, the townspeople vacated the area, the murmurs dying down as they left. The boys from earlier threw Yoongi’s basket to the ground.
“F-freaks!” one of them yelled before running away.
It was quiet, Yoongi’s brain trying to catch up to the fact that someone actually stood up for him. His eyes followed the boy as he moved his cane around, looking for Yoongi’s basket and its contents spilled into the ground.
The boy gathered the basket in his arms as he walked back to Yoongi who’s still on the ground, kneeling in front of him and offering him his basket.
“Are you okay?” The stranger asked, voice soft, definitely not the one he used earlier. Yoongi vaguely realized that this is the same guy he bumped into weeks ago.
Silence lingered between them and the stranger coughed, scratching the back of his neck.
“Ah, sorry, I didn’t know if I got everything back in your basket. I, umm…”
That seemed to snap Yoongi out of his trance, things finally clicking in his head.
Someone stood up for him.
Someone protected him.
Someone cared about him.
A sob tore its way out of Yoongi’s mouth, followed by sniffles and then he’s crying.
♪ ♬ ~ ♬ ♪
Jimin gasped when he heard the cries, hands reaching forward, trying to find the boy’s face.
‘Oh no, I made him cry!’
He fumbled for a moment, not sure where the boy’s face is, completely forgetting to use his other senses in his haste to comfort the boy.
Jimin was only out of his house today because he wanted to buy some bread. He isn’t in the mood to come out to be honest, his mood still down since the day he bumped into the mysterious boy. He walked around for the next three days after the exchange, hoping to meet the boy again, to no avail. The only bumping he made is with walls. The town is unusually noisy when he went out that afternoon. He heard people laughing and momentarily forgot what he went out for to check what’s going on. The first thing he heard is the word ‘freak’, making him frown, followed by footsteps, a gasp, and a small and stuttering ‘please give it back’. Jimin’s eyes widened upon hearing the familiar voice. Realizing that it’s the voice of the person he’s been looking for, making him smile at the fact that he’s finally meeting the boy again. The words that follow made Jimin’s blood boil though, especially when he heard a heartbreaking sob. Suddenly, all he can think of is protecting this boy he didn’t even know the name of, and so, that’s what he did.
Jimin’s brows furrowed in worry as the boy continued to sob. His hands hovering somewhere, hopefully, near the boy’s face.
“Please don’t cry. I’m sorry, please, please don’t cry.” He muttered, blinking when the sobs did stop and jumped when a cold hand held his wrist.
Jimin was confused until his palm is touching something soft. His breath hitched when he realized that the stranger has guided his hand towards their face and that he’s now cupping the boy’s cheek.
It’s soft, is Jimin’s first thought, and definitely wet from his tears. Jimin smiled as he guided his other hand to the boy’s face, said boy hiccupping as he leaned his cheek to the other’s palm.
“Hey, it’s okay now. Please don’t cry anymore. They won’t hurt you again.”
Jimin made sure his voice is soft as he talked to the other, trying not to scare him.
“T-They won’t?” the boy mumbled, sniffling.
Jimin can feel the other staring at him with doubt.
“I’ll make sure they won’t.” It’s a promise in Jimin’s part, this boy may be a stranger, but Jimin is good at judging people. He knows that this person’s heart is good.
The stranger’s breath hitched and it’s quiet for a few moments before the boy wailed and Jimin was so surprised and confused he did the only thing he thought would help.
He pulled the boy into a tight embrace.
♪ ♬ ~ ♬ ♪
If Yoongi is being honest, he’s not sure why he’s crying, wailing, this much. He thinks it’s probably because he was accustomed to people only giving him hard stares and pain and having someone showing him kindness is totally new for him. Even now, as the boy, whose name he’s yet to ask, embraced him, it’s still hard for him to believe that he’s real.
Yoongi only ever cried out of pain and loneliness, but right now, he isn’t crying because of those reasons.
He’s crying because he’s happy.
Yoongi’s cries eventually died down, but the boy’s arms remained around him, hands patting his back softly as if to remind him he’s not alone. Yoongi’s face is tucked safely into the boy’s neck; the comfortable weight of the boy’s chin resting on his head as they sat on the ground making Yoongi feel light, the boy’s scent calming him. He let out a whimper, nuzzling further into the warm body making the boy’s breath hitch. That seemed to snap Yoongi out of the stupor he was in, eyes almost bulging from their sockets as he jumped away from the boy, his cheeks reddening in embarrassment.
“I-I-I’m sorry! I didn’t m-mean to- I just-“
Yoongi stumbled over his words, hands flailing in front of him as if it would explain himself. He’s so embarrassing!
Yoongi was about to go into another barrage of apologies when he heard the boy giggling.
“What’s your name?” the stranger asked, smiling at Yoongi, his eyes turning into crescents and oh, that’s adorable, Yoongi’s brain momentarily stopped functioning.
The stranger awkwardly cleared his throat after a minute of silence, bringing Yoongi back into reality.
“Ah, yes, I, uhh, my name, right, umm-“
What was his name again? Yoongi wants to bury himself alive.
“...Yoongi. My name is Yoongi.”
The stranger grinned at him, and wow, Yoongi has to hold himself back from gasping because, he’s so pretty.
“I’m Jimin.”
The boy, Jimin, brought out his hand to shake Yoongi’s and it would have been fine, except Jimin is extending his hand in front of him, and Yoongi is a little bit on his right side from when he jumped back earlier.
Yoongi blinked, eyebrows furrowing as he stared at Jimin. He noticed that Jimin is staring straight ahead, still wearing his smile, as he offered his hand into the air. It occurred to him that Jimin can’t see him when he looked at his eyes and saw the dullness in them.
‘For the sake of me who cannot see.’
Realization dawned upon Yoongi, mouth parting in surprise.
‘He can’t see…’
He watched as Jimin’s eyebrows furrowed, slowly lowering his hand, probably thinking Yoongi didn’t want to shake his hand. Yoongi blinked, quickly reaching for the other’s hand and holding it between his. Jimin jumped at the sudden contact, holding Yoongi’s hand back in reflex, then he gasped, realization dawning upon him.
“Ah, I’m sorry. It’s just- my eyes, well, you know…” Jimin gestured at his eyes with his free hand, scratching at the back of his head and Yoongi understood.
“I know.” Is Yoongi’s reply, a small smile forming on his lips. Jimin must have sensed the mood lightening for he too, started smiling.
‘He can’t see and yet…’
They sat there, holding each other’s hands, smiling at each other in content.
“Umm, as much as I wanted to sit all day, I prefer if it wasn’t on the hard ground.”
Yoongi gasped, face heating up as he stood, pulling Jimin up with him.
“S-Sorry.”
His apology was answered by a melodious laugh and a squeeze to his hand, making him smile and soon joining in on the laughter.
It is then that Yoongi realized that he gained something he never had before. Something he has always wished for but gave up after some time.
A friend.
♪ ♬ ~ ♬ ♪
As it turns out, Jimin is a very talkative person. He loves talking about anything and everything. He would describe the scents of different flowers to Yoongi and their meanings, he boasts about his nose’s sensitivity, talks about his favorite season, which is spring by the way, his favorite food, gossips he heard in town, and anything that came to his mind. Yoongi found out that Jimin’s blindness is innate and that he isn’t really bothered by it.
“I may be blind, but I can see better than those who aren’t.”
Yoongi found himself clinging to every word Jimin says, fascinated on the way the boy would change from one topic to another, sometimes not even finishing the previous topic before moving on to the next. They were so different in nature, Yoongi has come to realized. Where Jimin is carefree and cheerful, Yoongi, on the other hand, is a little reserved and quiet. He does his best on giving his opinions whenever Jimin is talking even though Jimin made it clear that he understands that Yoongi is not used to talking with other people and Yoongi is grateful for that.
Ever since that day on the town, they became practically inseparable. It was hard for Yoongi to step foot into town so they agreed to meet by the archway and spend their days on the hill where Yoongi’s home is located.
They went everywhere, exploring the whole forest, following the river and finding out that it led to a waterfall, walking through a flower field, and all throughout their adventures, Yoongi’s hand is always intertwined with Jimin’s. At first, it’s only to guide him, but eventually, it became a habit for the two of them that even though they are only sitting beside each other, their hands are together. It makes Yoongi blush everytime, somehow thankful that Jimin can’t see it.
♪ ♬ ~ ♬ ♪
The topic about Yoongi’s appearance only came up once when Jimin asked about why the townspeople are treating him badly.
Yoongi froze in his seat, staring at Jimin with wide, terrified eyes. Jimin must have sensed the shift in the mood, quickly finding Yoongi’s hand and clutching it in his.
“You don’t have to tell me if you’re not comfortable with it.”
There is a smile on Jimin’s face when he said it, making Yoongi relaxed a bit, shoulders slumping and eyes focusing on the ground. He took a deep breath. Well, Jimin doesn’t have to know everything.
“I umm, it’s because… I’m different.” It came out as a mumble, but Jimin heard it, loud and clear.
“What do you mean by different?” Yoongi bit his lip, carefully forming his words.
“I’m ugly.”
He ran a hand through his face. Way to be careful, Yoongi. He felt Jimin’s hand tightened around his. A frown marring his face.
“No, you’re not. Don’t say that.”
“They literally call me a freak, you know.” Yoongi smiled, fondness growing for the boy in front of him, who’s looking more offended than Yoongi.
“It’s because they’re stupid!”
It was quiet after that, both of them content with just listening to the sound of the leaves moving with the wind.
“You know, when I was a child, my mother told me I was cursed by a goddess. She told me the goddess cursed me just for fun because she found me cute.” Yoongi’s voice is soft, remembering his mother’s words.
Jimin huffed.
“Whoever that goddess is, she’s a meanie.”
Yoongi giggled, Jimin joining him after a while.
“Really though, I don’t think you’re ugly. I bet the townspeople are just jealous of how pretty you are.” Jimin spoke with sincerity, a soft smile plastered on his face.
Yoongi’s eyes watered as he realized that Jimin had a completely different vision of Yoongi in his mind. He bit his lip, turning away from Jimin’s smile.
If you can see me, you wouldn’t say that.
♪ ♬ ~ ♬ ♪
They were sitting under an oak tree when Yoongi realized that he made a mistake.
They agreed to watch the sunset, well only Yoongi in their case, after exploring the flower field earlier and playing with the butterflies. They were talking about a random topic when Yoongi turned just in time to see the light reflect on Jimin’s dull eyes, the last rays of the sun hitting Jimin’s face, making him look soft as he talked. The angle making his cheeks look so soft, his eyelashes long and fanning on his cheeks whenever he blinks, his hair swaying softly with the wind, and Yoongi watched as his lips formed around the words.
Yoongi felt like he was doused in cold water.
He’s so beautiful.
Yoongi’s heart clenched because he knows. He knows he’s in love with Jimin. In love with someone who thinks he’s just like everyone else. In love with someone who probably has a different idea of Yoongi in his mind. In love with someone who didn’t know how ugly he is. In love with someone who will definitely hate him once he saw Yoongi’s appearance.
Just like everyone does.
Yoongi is in love and it hurts. It hurts because it’s a mistake.
♪ ♬ ~ ♬ ♪
Contrary to what Yoongi expected, hiding his feelings for Jimin isn’t as hard as he thought it would be. The fact that he couldn’t see Yoongi’s red face whenever he entwines their hands when they walk or that the boy was so used to him stuttering that he doesn’t notice Yoongi’s flustered state whenever he compliments him made hiding his feelings easier for the boy.
Yoongi’s only worry is that he would accidentally blurt out his feelings especially when Jimin smiles at him or hugs him, because yes, it became one of their habits too after that one time a kid threw a big stone at him and he bled and Jimin is so worried because he won’t stop crying so he ended up hugging him until he’s calm enough to tend to his wound.
Yoongi is happy with whatever he has with Jimin at the moment. Forget about unrequited feelings, having Jimin by his side is enough.
♪ ♬ ~ ♬ ♪
Jimin reached out a hand, trying to find Yoongi’s hand. It was a fine afternoon and they were relaxing under a willow tree. Jimin smiled in contentment as he found what he was looking for, squeezing the said boy’s hand and scooting closer to its owner.
“Yoongi?” he called, voice soft. The only reply he got is a soft murmur.
Oh, he’s asleep. How cute.
Jimin smiled to himself, fumbling around until he found Yoongi’s head and gently guided it to his lap. The said boy letting out a whimper at the disturbance before falling back asleep.
He combed his fingers through Yoongi’s soft hair, hearing the boy’s sighs of content. If only Yoongi knew about Jimin’s thoughts for him. He knew Yoongi is very insecure. He can still remember the last time they talked about Yoongi’s appearance and how terrified he sounded. He has no idea why Yoongi is feeling like that because Jimin thinks he’s beautiful, appearance aside. Yoongi is very soft spoken, never raises his voice, he cares too much for his own good, and even though he can’t see, Yoongi’s laughs are enough for Jimin to know that his smiles are pretty too. Jimin wanted to tell him these, but knowing Yoongi, he probably won’t believe it and he didn’t want to force himself on him.
Jimin sighed, carefully pulling out a white lily from his back pocket. He plucked it out earlier while they were playing around in the field, intending to give it to the pale boy before the day ends.
He brought the flower to his nose, inhaling its sweet scent before kissing a petal and laying it beside Yoongi’s head.
“I wish you can see how beautiful you are…” Jimin murmured, smiling fondly at the sleeping boy in his lap, dropping a kiss to Yoongi’s forehead.
“…and how much I love you.”
♪ ♬ ~ ♬ ♪
‘Jimin.’
Jimin’s eyes snapped open. Everything is dark and really, it’s nothing knew, except when he looked down, he can see another color aside from black. Jimin frowned, confused.
What.
He belatedly realized that he’s standing up and that it’s not possible because the last thing he remembers is sleeping on his bed after a long day with Yoongi.
‘The grass is pretty, don’t you think?’
Jimin gasped, looking around for the source of the voice. It sounded female and is very much amused. Is he dreaming?
‘I wonder if you will still feel the same about that boy once you saw his true appearance.’
“Who are you?!” Jimin yelled into the darkness. There’s a chuckle, before a figure of a woman appeared on the far distance. Jimin squinted, trying to see who it is.
‘Open your eyes and see.’
A gush of wind flew past him, making him close his eyes as laughter echoed all around him.
♪ ♬ ~ ♬ ♪
Jimin’s eyes snapped open for the second time, chest heaving as he abruptly sat up on his bed.
What was that?
Jimin rubbed at his eyes, squinting as the sunlight filtered through his curtains and hit his eyes. He glared at his windows, watching as the curtains sway with the morning breeze.
Jimin froze. His breath getting stuck in his throat as his eyes took up the size of saucers. He blinked, and then blinked again, eyes trained on the curtains. Blue. Yoongi said they were blue.
He turned his head to the right, scanning the room, and then down to his shaking hands, lifting them in front of him, watching as he wiggled his fingers.
He can see.
♪ ♬ ~ ♬ ♪
Yoongi is smiling as he made his way to the archway, hiding behind the walls as he tried to peek inside the town, looking for Jimin.
His smile morphed into a pout upon not seeing any signs of the boy.
‘What’s taking him so long?’
Usually, Jimin is the first one to arrive in their meeting place, a flower clutched to his chest as he waited for Yoongi. He sighed as he turned back and leaned against the wall, praying for Jimin to hurry up because he wanted to boast about the flower crown he made before he left his home.
When half an hour had passed and there is still no sign of Jimin, Yoongi got worried. Jimin didn’t mention about cancelling their plans for today and Yoongi knows that Jimin won’t just leave him to wait without saying anything.
Yoongi debated with himself, contemplating whether or not to step into town or stay and wait some more. He took a look inside the town again, biting his lip. There aren’t many people out yet because it’s still early, maybe he can sneak in without getting noticed.
Yoongi took a deep breath and with a gulp, he stepped into town.
♪ ♬ ~ ♬ ♪
Yoongi really should learn to not hope for good things to happen to him as he hugged his left arm to himself. He blinked the tears away as he heard laughter from above him. He made it halfway into Jimin’s house before the group of boys who always made fun of him found him. He tried running away from them, but of course, they caught him and now he’s on the ground again with a bruised arm to worry about.
“Hey, stand up! It’s not fun if you’re just going to sit there and do nothing!” one of the boys grabbed Yoongi by the hair, making him wince and forcing him to stand.
“P-Please let me go...”
The boys scoffed, letting go of Yoongi’s hair. Yoongi almost sighed in relief before a hard hit landed on his face and he fell on the ground again. There’s another round of laughter as Yoongi tasted blood on his mouth, his lower lip bleeding from the hit.
“What, you think we’re just going to let you go after that blind savior of yours made us look like a fool in front of everyone? Hah! Think again, freak.”
Yoongi sniffed, staying silent in fear of getting hit again. Where was Jimin? He wants to be with Jimin.
“We’re not scared of that dumb knight in shining armor of yours because you’re both freaks!”
“Hey.”
Contrary to what they said, the group of boys froze when a familiar voice joined in on their conversation. Yoongi looked up, almost crying in relief when he saw Jimin standing behind the boys, glaring at them.
“Y-You again?!” one of them yelled, backing away not so subtly.
Jimin didn’t answer, just continued glaring at them.
“W-What are you looking at, huh?!”
“Looks like I didn’t made myself clear the last time we met. Maybe I should do something about that.” Jimin growled under his breath, taking a step forward, eyes not leaving the boys.
Yoongi thinks he heard a squeak before the boys all but pushed each other as they ran away. Yoongi stared after them in wonder. Well, so much for not being scared.
“…Yoongi?”
The said boy turned his head back to his friend. A smile forming on his face as he stood up, wanting to show his gratitude for the boy. He took a step towards Jimin, only to stop when the boy stepped back, disbelief written all over his face.
“Jimin?”
Yoongi is confused, why is Jimin looking at him as if he’s scared? Yoongi reached out a hand, trying to grab the boy’s hand, only for Jimin to take another step back.
“Why are you- why do you look like that?”
Yoongi felt like he was punched in the gut.
He stared at Jimin, his hand frozen mid-air as he made eye contact with the boy. He stopped breathing all together when he saw the light on Jimin’s eyes.
Light that wasn’t there before.
He gasped, this time the one taking a step backwards, realization hitting him like a lightning.
Jimin can see.
Jimin saw him.
Tears prickled at the corner of his eyes.
Jimin hates him.
Yoongi took a few more steps back and then he’s running away, ignoring the calls for him to come back.
♪ ♬ ~ ♬ ♪
He has no idea how long he’s been running. All he knows is that he has to get away. Away from the one person he held dear to him and possibly hating him now. He never let go of the possibility that Jimin might be able to see in the future, that one day, Yoongi is going to wake up and Jimin can see. He had prepared himself for that scenario and he thought he was ready to see the hate in Jimin’s eyes, the look of betrayal being thrown at him for lying to Jimin about his appearance, but seeing it happening in person, seeing the disbelief and the fear in the boy’s eyes, nothing could have prepared him for that.
He was right after all. Jimin has a different vision of Yoongi in his mind. Someone who is normal and not a freak like him. He’s not blaming Jimin though, who would love someone like him anyway? Who would love someone who has pale skin when everyone has honeyed one? Who would love someone who has blue eyes when everyone has dark ones? Who would love someone so miserable?
Who would love someone like Yoongi?
Yoongi’s legs gave up underneath him, leaving him kneeling on the ground. He let his tears flow freely, not having enough strength to stop them anymore. Yoongi curled up into himself, hugging his knees as he buried his face in them, sobs racking his form.
Why did he have to forget his place and fall in love?
If Yoongi is only listening, he would’ve heard a woman’s laughter ringing in the distance.
♪ ♬ ~ ♬ ♪
It felt like hours when Yoongi’s tears finally dried. He had ran out of tears to cry and at this point, he’s left with nothing but a broken heart. Yoongi is staring ahead of him, eyes hazy and unfocused. The boy sniffled, blinking slowly.
‘You should just starve yourself until you die!’
‘Yeah, do us all a favor and die already!’
‘You’re an ugly monster.’
‘Die!’
‘Disappear already.’
Yoongi’s lips curled into a bitter smile.
Maybe they were right.
“Maybe it’s really better for everyone if I just die...” Yoongi whispered into the wind, letting it wash over his form.
“No, it’s not!”
Yoongi gasped, turning his head around, eyes widening as he saw a panting Jimin standing a few feet away from him. Is he dreaming?
Jimin straightened up as he walked towards Yoongi’s direction and kneeled in front of him, dark eyes boring into Yoongi’s blue ones. Yoongi can only stare at him, mouth agape as Jimin brought his hands onto Yoongi’s face.
“Please don’t think that way ever again.”
Yoongi blinked at him before casting his eyes downwards.
“Do you hate me?”
Jimin’s heart broke at how small and defeated Yoongi sounded, berating himself for even letting Yoongi come up with such a ridiculous idea because there is no way he could hate Yoongi.
“No! Yoongi I-I could never! I promise I would never hate you.” Jimin used his leverage to turn Yoongi’s head up so he would look at him, but the boy’s eyes stayed rooted on the ground.
“Yoongi please, look at me.”
Nothing. Jimin sighed.
“Please?”
Yoongi’s eyebrows twitched, and then he’s raising his gaze until it met Jimin’s. Jimin smiled at him in return, thumbs gently rubbing under Yoongi’s eyes.
“I’m sorry for reacting the way I did earlier. I was just…surprised.” Jimin started his explanation, eyes never leaving the other’s face.
“Because I’m ugly?”
“No. Definitely not. Stop saying that.” Jimin scolded, squishing Yoongi’s cheeks.
“Sorry…”
“No, I’m sorry. I really am. I’m sorry because I made you feel like I hated you. I’m sorry because I made you feel bad about yourself even though you shouldn’t be. I just…I guess I didn’t know how to react. I didn’t mean it on a bad way though, I mean yes, from what I gathered in the short time I spent actually using my eyes, you looked different from the others in the town, but Yoongi,” Jimin smiled at the boy tenderly.
“Just because you’re a little different doesn’t mean you are ugly. You are beautiful. You will always be for me, even without my eyes, you will always be beautiful to me.”
Yoongi’s face burned, mouth parting in surprise and embarrassment. Jimin called him beautiful! Jimin stared at Yoongi’s flustered face.
Adorable.
“Yoongi.”
The said boy blinked at him owlishly.
“I love you.”
The other’s face turned impossibly redder, gasping as he broke away from Jimin’s hold, spluttering and covering his face with his hands.
“You-I-what?”
‘Even his ears are red.’
“I love you.” Jimin repeated, just for the sake of flustering Yoongi more and he wasn’t disappointed because Yoongi took a stuttering breath, a muffled scream escaping his mouth as he shuffled backwards, eyes wide as he stared at the boy in front him.
“B-But why me? I-I’m not-“
Normal.
”Do you remember when I told you I can see better than those who can actually use their eyes?”
Jimin smiled when Yoongi nodded.
“This is what I meant by that. I fell in love with you without knowing how you look like. Fell in love with you because of your gentleness, fell in love with you because of the way you speak, the way you get excited over little things, the way you care about the little things around you, the way you laugh, the way you hum songs when you’re distracted. I could go on and list everything I found precious in you but it all led to the fact that I love you and I will never hate you for something as superficial as physical appearance.”
Jimin crawled over to Yoongi, gathering the boy into his arms as tears clouded the boy’s eyes.
“And I do love your appearance. I love your hair because it reminds me of the coldness of winter. I love your pale skin because it’s soft to the touch. I love your eyes because they’re the same color as the sky. You may not be all muscly, but your body fits perfectly into mine.”
“I love you, Yoongi. I love you because you’re you and I wouldn’t have you any other way. To me, you will never be not important.”
Yoongi couldn’t believe what he was hearing. All the words that Jimin had uttered, how much have he waited to hear that? How much had he yearned for this love he thought he would never have? It all feels so surreal for him, he has to make sure.
“Y-You’re not lying?”
He felt Jimin smile into his hair as one of his hands went to the back of Yoongi’s head, short fingers combing through his white hair as he was tucked further into the boy’s neck.
“I’m not. You don’t have to be alone again.”
And Yoongi broke.
Tears rushing out of his eyes as he cried in relief, in disbelief, he’s not quite sure anymore as his fingers went to clutch the front of Jimin’s clothes. All he knows is that he’s happy.
Happy that he found Jimin.
Happy that he found something more than just a simple friendship.
Jimin is still petting the other boy’s head, a small smile on his face as he nuzzled his cheek into the soft hair, arms still wounded tightly around the crying boy.
“…Y-You really mean that? E-Even though I’m not normal?”
Jimin opened his eyes, not quite sure when he had closed them, at Yoongi’s question, voice shaky and watery. He moved his hands until they’re cupping the boy’s cheeks, pulling back a little so he could see Yoongi’s face. The other is already staring at him, blue eyes wide and swimming in tears.
“Until the day we die, I will stay by your side. That’s why from today onwards, you’ll be a normal boy, okay?”
Jimin watched as more tears spilled from Yoongi’s eyes, smiling warmly at the boy before closing his eyes and leaning in to capture Yoongi’s lips into a kiss. Yoongi let out a small sound of surprised before closing his eyes and kissing Jimin back as an unspoken confession of ‘I love you too.’
Yoongi used to question himself whether his curse is real or not, whether there really is someone out there who casted a spell on him for fun, but right now, with Jimin’s arms around him, with Jimin’s lips pressed against his, he can only think of thanking them for what they did because it brought Jimin to him. He knows that people won’t change their views of him just because he has someone by his side, but as long as Jimin is here with him, as long as Jimin loves him, Yoongi will be happy.