The day comes for Jimin to leave and Yoongi resigns himself to two months of hell without his best friend.

He hadn't realized until the moment Jimin came to stand in his doorway, his bags packed next to him, that the younger man is the only person in Yoongi's life who actually cares about him rather than merely tolerating his existence because of money or fame.

When he leaves for the bus station, Yoongi gives him a curt side hug and wishes him luck before listening to the sound of the front door closing shut with a resounding boom that echos in the large apartment. He's already dressed for the day— Jimin had insisted on helping Yoongi out of bed— but he doesn't want to begin his routine just yet. It doesn't help that Taehyung looks over at him expectantly, like he's waiting for Yoongi to break out the friendship rings and pop wheelies with his chair out of excitement.

Of course, he's pissed that his best friend and caretaker is gone. Who wouldn't be?Things had been awkward over the last few days while the nurse had observed Jimin interacting with Yoongi, but now that they are alone, the discomfort is at all time high. But apparently, Taehyung isn't the type to let Yoongi brood, and immediately offers to make breakfast like nothing has happened.

Taehyung, with his shitty bleach job on his mullet-like mop of hair, with traces of faux tattoos still clinging to his skin. Taehyung, with his tiny dog that Yoongi wants to despise but it's hard when the animal looks like a literal ball of fluff. Taehyung, whose personality is basically a mystery.

Taehyung is a stranger.

So Yoongi merely undoes the brakes on his chair and returns upstairs to lie back in his bed and stare up at the ceiling. He cries softly, hating himself for his disability, for tying Jimin to him all because of his stupid fucking legs. His legs that won't work, that don't care about his humiliation or fear, that will continue to not work years from now, with Jimin still solely responsible for them because Yoongi will always be just a broken man.

He knows that Jimin will worry about him the entire time he's gone. He knows that his friend will feel guilty for leaving Yoongi like this and the elder hates himself for being such a burden. Even if Yoongi managed to convince Jimin to go live his life to the fullest without him, he would always be someone's problem to take care of.

And right now, he is Taehyung's problem.

Yoongi isn't usually so quick to get emotional, but something about replacing the familiar with such a chaotic unknown has him on edge. How can he possibly trust Taehyung with not just his physical needs but his emotional ones as well? Because this job isn't just about disability, it was about Yoongi's inability to feel anything but desolate. He would've given up long ago if Jimin hadn't been there to fill in all the holes in his crushed heart.

It's only for two months, Jimin had told him, but to someone like Yoongi, two months was just long enough to rip open old wounds; he might just bleed out if he has to let Taehyung too close.

So he decides not to.

The first day of Jimin's absence goes relatively smoothly, thanks to both Hoseok and Seokjin's presence. The housekeeper and chef, respectively, seemed entranced by Taehyung and his odd quirks, asking him about his profession like two bored housewives with nothing better to do. Yoongi assumed that Jimin asked them to try to lighten the atmosphere, but if that was the case, shouldn't they be clinging to Yoongi? Isn't Yoongi the one in need of extra attention?

But of course, Yoongi doesn't have a fluffy dog or a blinding boxy smile. He doesn't have interesting stories about growing up on the farm and learning to hide his dialect behind clipped words. Yoongi doesn't have much to talk about but his party days and even those are a bit hazy at best and both Hobi and Seokjin have heard enough about them for a lifetime.

So Yoongi relented, and let the new guy have his day in the sun, chattering away about his hobbies and interests while Yoongi sat at the table and tried not to regurgitate his food at the way Seokjin told Taehyung that he has "model good looks" or the way Hobi appreciated the nurse's sense of style.

Yoongi had to snort at that, because, what sense of style? Taehyung was dressed in plain black scrubs and gray converse. Sure, he's got a million piercings in one ear and sort of has that whole "urban bohemian" thing going on, but style? He's pretty sure the man has never even set foot inside a classy boutique. The thought made him giggle again until he remembered— he hasn't stepped foot inside one either. At least, not in the last four years.

After breakfast, the help dispersed, Hobi continuing on with his cleaning duties while Seokjin packed the fridge with pre-made meals before he wished them farewell to disappear to his restaurant. Then it was just the two of them, staring at each other.

"I didn't really get to observe your normal schedule since Jimin-hyung was trying to train me over the past few days, so, what do you normally do during the day?" Taehyung had asked him with a tight smile.

"I work," Yoongi replied dryly before heading towards his studio down the hall. Once inside, he spent the next four hours avoiding the other man even when he finished the edits Namjoon had requested on a certain track. He even messed around with some voice samples on the new software the entertainment company had recently purchased for the producer duo, but eventually that got boring.

He only came out about a half hour before Jungkook was scheduled to arrive for therapy, and he waited until the nurse moved into the kitchen to grab something before he made his way upstairs to pee. He then only came down when the sound of the doorbell rang out. Just like the others, Jungkook was eager to get to know Taehyung better and the two hit it off immediately, seeing as they are close in age.

The therapist wanted to ask Yoongi more pointless questions regarding the nurse all throughout their session together, but he was having none of it. If Jungkook even broached the subject of trying to befriend the strange man, Yoongi would simply do that rocking thing with his hips that the other hated so much. It was an instant distraction, which led to a lecture, which led to more sets of exercises. Yoongi never thought he would be so grateful for extra "hip flexor rotations" or whatever the hell Jungkook called them, but he was. Because for those brief moments, all he had to do was focus on the pressure in his hips and the stinging in his dying nerves.

What came after physical therapy, however, was the first major hiccup of the day. Jungkook had just exited the apartment when Yoongi remembered that he was supposed to ask the therapist's assistance with help bathing him. Taehyung was helping Hobi move the dining table so the rug underneath it could get a good vacuuming, so Yoongi put his chair in the lift and prayed that he could make it upstairs quickly enough before the nurse could notice.

He couldn't exactly bathe himself— he had never really tried due to fear of falling when he was trying to get into the shower stall— but he couldn't bear the thought of being so vulnerable with Taehyung so immediately after they had just met. He really didn't need a shower today; in fact, he had hardly broke a sweat during his therapy session, so he could always wait until tomorrow to ask Jungkook for help. Sure, Yoongi didn't want the younger man seeing him naked either, but at least he was familiar. Of course, he could also ask Hobi....

But he had already been down that road and had the memory of awkwardly popping an erection once when the housekeeper had taken his shirt off to wipe down the large windows one hot summer day. It had been nearly two years since then but Yoongi never quite got over the teasing. Occasionally Hobi would still give him cheeky looks when he was scrubbing something or when he had to bend over to reach certain spots with his cloth. It was all in good fun, but Yoongi was not keen on enduring more mockery.

So no, Hobi was not an option and neither was Taehyung. So the young physical therapist it was. If Yoongi was mortified by the experience, he could always fire him and get a new therapist. Jimin, however, would not let Taehyung go, and it was Jimin who he respected.

So the nurse would stay, but there was no way in hell that he would ever get close to bathing Yoongi.

Lest Taehyung ask any questions, Yoongi did his best to wipe himself down with a wet cloth and at least put on a new shirt. He fluffed his hair and made his way downstairs to get dinner over with. The meal was silent mostly, as Taehyung was preoccupied with his phone. After that, Yoongi decided to retire to bed early, and it was then that they had their first real patient/nurse interaction.

Taehyung had insisted on helping him with his entire nightly routine, but Yoongi just really needed to take a shit and get into some sleeping clothes. He almost expected Taehyung to have wandered back downstairs after he had spent so long in the bathroom, but no, the nurse was waiting on him with a fresh set of pajamas in hand.

Though Yoongi hated the entire ordeal, he had to admit that Taehyung was extremely considerate. It seemed that he had learned from his earlier fuck up and only touched Yoongi after asking, and his hands were gentle as they pulled off his jogger pants to slip on roomier clothing. Yoongi peeled off his own shirt and put on the new one as Taehyung helped him into fuzzy socks which Jimin had insisted were necessary after feeling Yoongi's feet one morning and practically had a heart attack about how cold they were. He said that he worried that the lack of warmth would somehow harm Yoongi's blood circulation— Yoongi had simply remarked that it wouldn't matter if his foot fell off. He couldn't use it anyway.

At the end of the night, Yoongi pulled himself into bed and Taehyung had wished him goodnight, leaning in the doorway just as Jimin had that morning.

———————-

It's day two, and Yoongi doesn't want to get out of bed. There's a pressure in his pelvis that lets him know that he needs to get up to pee but he really doesn't want to. Because that would signal the beginning of another exhausting day avoiding the nurse.

So he lies there— as he does most days— and stares at the early morning sunlight casting shapes on the wall. They're the same shapes he sees every morning, the same shapes that have been there for four years. They will be there when Yoongi turns twenty-six and twenty-seven; they will be there when the other men his age consider their military service while he lies here and actually wishes he had the same woes as them.

"Yoongi-ssi?"

There's a knock on the door.

Yoongi groans and rolls over to look at the alarm clock. It's about the time that Jimin told Taehyung to try to get Yoongi up everyday. He grimaces and flops back down. Maybe if he pretends to sleep, the other will leave him alone for a few more hours.

Taehyung waits a few minutes before slowly opening the door. Yoongi shuts his eyes and feigns sleep, but that doesn't stop the nurse from approaching. For a moment, all that can be heard in the room is the soft breathing that Yoongi is trying hard to fake and the sound of Taehyung shuffling on his feet beside the bed.

It's obvious that the nurse is checking to see if he's awake, but when the man doesn't immediately leave, Yoongi grows curious. Why is Taehyung watching him sleep? Is he hoping to catch Yoongi in a lie?

The question is both answered and compounded when Yoongi feels the feather-light brush of fingers moving his hair out of his eyes. Taehyung is gentle as he does so and it's hard for Yoongi not to react.

Should he call the other out for such a strange gesture of affection? What would be the purpose of that? Instead, he continues to "sleep", only relaxing when Taehyung sighs and walks away, closing the bedroom door softly behind him.

Yoongi opens his eyes and blinks.

What was that? Sure, Jimin had mentioned that Taehyung was very considerate with his patients, but there was no medical need to caress him so gently and since the nurse hadn't known he was awake, it wasn't like he did so to foster some sort of bond between them.

So why?

The thought buzzes in his head as he pulls himself into his chair to begin his morning routine. He pees, manages to wash his face and brush his teeth at the low-level sink and then he's wheeling back into his room. Taehyung is already waiting for him with a warm smile.

"You ready to get dressed for the day?" the nurse asks with a tone that's more hesitant than anything else. Yoongi supposes he would be nervous in the other man's spot; after all, Yoongi isn't the most cordial of people when he's pissy or newly awake.

After selecting an outfit, Taehyung proceeds to help him dress. This time is much different than the previous night, however, because he will have to change completely, which means that he will be nude for the first time with his new caretaker.

Out of reflex, Yoongi wants to refuse, but the truth is that he hasn't quite figured out how to dress his bottom half properly. It's really a matter of getting underwear and pants up and down his legs because while he can bend at the waist, he can't draw his knees up and it becomes extremely difficult. It crosses Yoongi's mind that seeing him this way is no different than how Taehyung will see him if he helps him into the shower, but somehow it's different.

For one, when Jimin helps, both of them are busy trying to put legs into holes and pull fabric up over skin, so it's a bit rushed and clinical. Undressing someone with intent on leaving them bare, however, is far more intimate and carries a different weight to it. Not to mention that after bathing, Taehyung has to help dry off his naked, dripping body and Yoongi has seen enough bad porn to know that shit like that can be awkward. He just can't bring himself to reconcile the two situations and he doesn't think that's going to change anytime soon.

The process starts out slow, with Taehyung obviously following Jimin's exact instruction because he drops to his knees and goes for Yoongi's socks first, just like how his friend does. In the meantime, Yoongi pulls off his shirt and tugs on the new one and by then, Taehyung is slipping Yoongi's pants off. The fabric slides down his dead legs as the nurse asks if he can grip Yoongi by the hips to pull the waist of the pants down.

Yoongi says yes, of course, and some small part of him is completely satisfied at the thought that Taehyung still intends on asking his consent every time he needs to touch him. He's certain that the man's other patients never had a problem like this, but Taehyung humors him regardless.

The pants come off and then this is it— the moment Yoongi has been dreading. He braces himself when Taehyung's long, tan fingers come to rest on the waistband of his underwear and Yoongi lets out a little huff of air at the contact. The nurse either doesn't notice or doesn't care because he begins to pull the fabric down.

Yoongi tenses. He feels sick, the realization of what is about to occur setting in completely. In all of four years, only one man has seen Yoongi nude, has touched him like this, and that's only because he's known Jimin for over a decade.

But just when the moment becomes unbearable, Taehyung pauses, his expressive eyes glancing up at Yoongi from the floor. "I can close my eyes if you're scared."

Scared?

If he's scared?

Yoongi blinks incredulously down at the nurse. The words slosh around his brain, taunting him, telling him that he's nothing more than a coward, because a complete stranger can tell that he can't even the stomach the idea of being nude. Because he's hideous.

"Scared?" Yoongi repeats, breathless. He narrows his eyes. "Scared? I'm goddamn uncomfortable! I'm not scared, Taehyung-ssi! I'm not some fucking child who—"

Taehyung is visibly embarrassed by his choice of wording. He recoils back from Yoongi's outburst. "Shit, no, that's not what I meant," he tries to explain over Yoongi's increasing rage. "I just meant that you looked anxious and I don't want you to be anxious. I—"

Grabbing the wheels of his chair, Yoongi rolls backwards, putting distance between them. "Go get Hobi. I'll have him do it."

"I'm so sorry, Yoongi-ssi! I really didn't mean it like that! Please—"

"Get Hobi," Yoongi hisses, his body burning with anger and shame.

Taehyung's face immediately deflates and he rises to his feet. He's holding his hands out in a gesture of supplication, but Yoongi could care less.

He was just treated like a bumbling child about to wet himself out of fear. And then if that wasn't bad enough, Taehyung had presented the question to him in such a taunting manner as if to say, "I'll make concessions for you since you're scared". It was beyond disrespectful.

Jimin would never do such a thing.

Taehyung leaves and about ten minutes later, a bewildered Hobi enters the room. He gives Yoongi a concerned look and then comes to stand by the chair.

"Hyung, Taehyung-ah said that you needed help getting changed, but I thought that he was supposed—"

"Hobi," Yoongi's voice cracks just a little. He closes his eyes and lets out a shaky breath. "Just.... please."

He hates himself for it, but Yoongi keeps his eyes closed the entire time. He has no idea what Hobi's expression is during the whole ordeal and the next thing he knows, he's dressed and being brought down to breakfast. The housekeeper casts one more concerned glance in his direction before leaving Yoongi at the table.

———————

Yoongi doesn't talk to Taehyung the rest of the day. He just accepts the nurse's help with things here and there but he refuses to look him in the eye. He's so wrapped up in his seething anger that once again, he forgets to ask Jungkook for with help bathing. In his defense, the therapist also had to cut their session short due to an emergency back at the clinic he works at.

By the time Jungkook leaves, Hobi has completed his duties and left too, but thankfully, Taehyung is preoccupied with taking Yeontan downstairs on his daily walk. He has no idea that Yoongi is left alone to bathe and he won't know.

The bathroom is large and spacious to accommodate Yoongi's chair comfortably, but staring at the room now, the space only seems daunting. Surely it can't be that difficult to get into his shower chair by himself?

As for undressing... well, he'll have to get creative with that.

There's absolutely no way that he will allow Taehyung to touch him now.

Later tonight, he'll call Jimin to tell him that he can't handle this. That he misses his friend's gentle mannerism and quiet understanding. He'll call Hobi and tell him that he'll pay for a thousand cleaning contracts if the man will agree to be his caretaker until Jimin gets back.

He'll do anything at this point, because despite his bravado, Min Yoongi is scared.

—————

Taehyung watches Yeontan sniff at the same bush for the thousandth time. It's nice outside today, and the animal is enjoying himself as he trots along admiring the shrubbery of the gardens.

Yes, this fancy apartment complex has gardens, with little gazebos and benches— just like a park. He finds this fascinating, since this is the middle of Seoul, but it's nice that people can afford to live in places like this. His own apartment is meager at best, and it really won't miss his presence for the next two months considering that it doesn't have much in it to begin with.

Taehyung didn't bring much from Daegu when he moved and since he's more of the simplistic type, he hasn't really acquired much. He only spends his money on two things: fashion (though it's usually knock-off) and his fur child, Yeontan. In fact, he's pretty sure the dog has more outfits than he does.

Today, however, Yeontan is running around nude because as stupid as it sounds, Taehyung worries that his new patient will judge him for dressing up his pet. Not that Yoongi particularly likes him much anyway— things were not going as planned.

In all his years as a home healthcare nurse, Taehyung has never once met a client who didn't like him. Sure, there were patients who were grumpy by natural disposition, but that didn't mean they hated him.

Yoongi hates him.

And thinking it over, Taehyung can understand why. He's been nothing but awkward and unintentionally rude around him (which is completely out of character for him, especially when it comes to his career), he accepted this job based on a bet, and he can't stop looking at his face.

Ok, so Yoongi had no idea about the last one, but that didn't make it any less true.

Taehyung cannot stop staring at his patient's face.

It bears such a resemblance to Yoonji that it's almost disturbing, and the more he observes Yoongi, the more he sees his first love reflected in him.

It's impossible.

Taehyung was so bothered by this that he even spent most of his first day on the job on Naver researching Yoongi and his family trying to find a connection. There had to be one. But after hours of research, and a long night lying in bed recalling everything Yoonji had told him about her family, nothing could be found.

All he knows is this:

Yoongi was born to an heir of a small Daegu-based tech company that had just merged with the remnants of a Japanese conglomerate. The company eventually moved to Busan, where the man presumably met and grew up with Jimin. Yoongi's mother is a surgeon who retired early from practicing to sit on the medical board of one of the city's largest hospitals. He has one brother, Jun Ki, who has done his best to stay out of the spotlight and media.

To summarize everything Taehyung found on the internet- Yoongi's father's company struck gold with a computer chip prototype and basically blew up overnight, causing the family to relocate to Seoul. The company is now worth an amount of won with so many zeros in it that Taehyung gave up trying to comprehend the actual figure.

The story of Yoongi himself though, was rather different. Like Jimin had said, Yoongi was involved in car accident four years ago that resulted in his paralysis. But before that, he was known as the playboy of Seoul, racking up enormous tabs at bars and clubs and causing trouble for his CEO father.

For as many articles discussing Min Incorporated's achievements, there were at least triple that recounting Yoongi's drunken and drugged escapades. One time, he even rented out an entire warehouse to celebrate his birthday, which ended up in a scene so debauched that people believed his father's company paid to blackout the media coverage of the event. However, the social media recounts of that night were wild and painted Yoongi in a whole new light. Taehyung could hardly believe the two men were even the same person.

Apparently, his partying got so out of control at one point that there was talk that his father was planning to disown him— that was, until the accident. Funny how after Yoongi lost the ability to walk, no one bothered to report on him anymore. In fact, Taehyung had counted ten— ten— articles in total about his accident. Two of them were about his progress and are dated a year and a half ago.

But for all the information he found, Taehyung is no closer to figuring out why his patient resembles Yoonji so much. He supposes that he'll have to come to terms with that soon as well as the reason why he took this job in the first place. Because if he's honest with himself, it's out of some sick sense of masochism. He figures that if he can no longer see Yoonji in his waking life, then he'll have to settle for a man who looks remarkably like her.

Lost in his thoughts, Taehyung barely notices when Yeontan begins to yip wildly at the sight of a stray cat darting through the garden. He pulls the leash taut, preventing his pet from darting off and sighs.

"Tannie, please stop. I know, I know, I saw it too, but daddy doesn't want you running off." Yeontan yips more at this, bouncing around on his stubby legs and Taehyung can't help but feel endeared. He squats to the ground and the animal rushes towards him to give him licks and nuzzles. "It's almost time for your dinner, huh? I'll also have to give you that new supplement..."

The nurse trails off, remembering something that Jungkook had told him about combining two of Yoongi's medications to better deal with his nerve pain. He knows that the therapist showed him the two bottles just yesterday with the instructions of combining the doses today after dinner, but Taehyung had been so preoccupied with his weird fixation on Yoongi's face that he had forgotten which medication they had discussed.

Cursing himself for another instance of unprofessionalism, Taehyung pulls his phone from his pocket and quickly dials Jungkook's number. He's grateful now that Jimin had given him a list of contacts upon signing the contract because suddenly all these details had begun to slip his mind.

The phone rings three times before the therapist picks up.

"Hello?"

"Jungkook-ah, don't leave for the day yet. I'm still walking Yeontan, but I'll be up in a minute. I need you to show me the medication we discussed yesterday."

There's a strangled noise on the other line followed by what sounds like the horn of a car. "Leave? I left over an hour ago. Emergency at the clinic," Jungkook explains breathlessly. More sounds filter down the line and Taehyung realizes with muted horror that the therapist is driving, clearly not upstairs with his patient. "Yoongi-hyung was supposed to call you."

There's not much in this world that strikes fear into Taehyung. Not since he watched Yoonji die a little each day, the golden hue of her complexion fading out slowly until her skin was sickly and ashen. Once, Yeontan had managed to dart out onto a busy street and scare the shit out of his owner, but somehow that pales in comparison to the dread slowly working into his gut.

"D-Did you bathe him before you left?" he manages to stammer out, still trying to convince himself that this is normal, that it's nothing, that Yoongi didn't intentionally do this and the man is upstairs watching tv or drinking his coffee like it's not the middle of the day. Maybe he's even on the phone with Jimin, bitching about Taehyung.

The line goes silent for a moment and then, "No... Was I supposed to?"

Taehyung has to stop himself from replying "he said you agreed to bathe him" once he realizes the lie in those words. The realization is sickening and it's then that he abruptly ends the call.

Yeontan lets out a surprised yelp when Taehyung picks him up and starts sprinting towards the apartment entrance, nodding to the doorman who seems rather apathetic at the sight. He can't get upstairs fast enough because now he's burdened, burdened with the knowledge that Yoongi intentionally lied to him and Jimin, and that he refuses to let Taehyung help him when it really counts. And somehow he knows what this means, that his patient has decided to be martyr for his own cause and that this could only end one way.

Taehyung barely deposits Yeontan on the floor, the leash still attached to his collar, before he's running up stairs, taking the small set of stairs next to the ramp two at a time. He immediately rounds the corner and throws himself at Yoongi's bedroom door. When he bursts into the space, Yoongi is nowhere to be found but the sound of running water behind a closed door is deafening in his terror.

The bathroom door is locked.

It takes a few moments for Taehyung to fully register this development, and once he does, he's pounding on the door. "Yoongi-ssi, what are you doing?" His heart is trying to crawl into his throat because he knows, he knows.

The ensuing silence only proves it.

"Yoongi-ssi! Yoongi-ssi!" He's shouting now, pleading with his patient to open the door and with every second that passes, he grows more frantic.

Had Yoongi been simply ignoring him, then the impasse wouldn't have lasted this long.

No, something was terribly wrong.

Taehyung slams both his fists into the door and it gives a little but it's not enough. He can feel the humid air leaking from the cracks in the door frame and the heaviness of it tells him that shower has been running for quite sometime. This only adds to the roiling horror in his gut.

After a few more minutes of pleading with his patient, desperately hoping that Yoongi's stubborn streak is to blame for the silence, Taehyung makes a decision. He lifts up his converse-clad foot and kicks, sending the door flinging open. Little splinters of wood fly through the air but he pays them no mind because all he can focus on through the blur of mist is the sight of an over-turned wheelchair and a hand lying limp on the floor.

Rushing into the room, he wades through the moist air until he finds him—

Yoongi is sprawled out on the slick tile, body slack and curled into a ball. He looks so small like this, nude with droplets of water clinging to his thin form. He's unconscious, and there's a darkening patchwork of bruises around his hips and a gash on his head, leaking crimson onto the cream tile below.

It's not hard to discern what happened; there's evidence enough to suggest that somehow Yoongi managed to undress himself and make it into the shower, but when he was coming out, he most likely couldn't figure out how to get himself out of the shower chair, let alone turn off the water.

So, in his stubbornness, he had pulled himself onto the ground and attempted to crawl towards his wheelchair, but pulling himself into it had proven nearly impossible with the slick flooring, so he slipped. His entire body weight would have smacked into the ground, and the wheelchair, even with the brakes locked, would've slid across the floor and Yoongi probably found his head colliding with the corner of the sink.

It's such a horrible vision that Taehyung finds himself tearing up while he moves to cradle Yoongi in his arms.

He's begging the older man to wake up, to give him any sign of lucidity, but Yoongi's nearly translucent eyelids stay closed. He is breathing however, but it's shallow and Taehyung knows that there's no time to waste.

There's a hospital fairly close, just a couple blocks away, but Seoul traffic is notorious at this hour. Calling for an ambulance would be quicker than taking his patient in his own vehicle, but there were no guarantees.

There's only one thing he can do.

Yeontan is surprised once more when Taehyung unleashes him and hurriedly coaxes him into his crate. The animal even cocks his head at the sight of his owner wrapping another man in a large towel to maintain his modesty.

Oh, what would his pet think if he could see Taehyung running two blocks with Yoongi cradled to his chest? Taehyung, who likes the occasional walk through the park but who has never set foot inside a gym?

It's must be sheer adrenaline that pushes him past his limit, past pedestrians gawking at the strange sight. It must be, because terror has long since faded now that he has Yoongi in his arms. Now that he can feel the body heat of the older man though the towel.

For now, Yoongi is safe, but Taehyung knows better than anyone how quickly that can change.

———

—————

———————

Daegu

Three and a half years ago

"Come on, one more," Taehyung pleads, eyeing his girlfriend. "You have to do one more."

Yoonji glares at him, her usual pout and sharp eyes present in the look. It's nice to see her like this. It's nice to see her awake. "I'm not hungry anymore," she argues, pushing away the spoon held out in Taehyung's hand. "You've already made me eat the whole bowl."

Taehyung frowns. "Noona, you've only eaten four spoonfuls. It's only been five minutes."

Furrowing her brows, Yoonji looks past Taehyung at the clock on the sterile white wall. "Oh," she whispers and her boyfriend recognizes the look. She had lost track of time again, something her exhausted body was prone to do sometimes.

The chemotherapy drugs liked to mess with her like that.

They don't talk about it. It seems easier that way, since there's nothing they can do about it anyway.

With a sigh, Taehyung places the bowl back on the nurse's tray to be picked up later. He looks back to his girlfriend who looks so small in the bed overflowing with bleached hospital sheets. The numerous tubing attached to her body doesn't help matters.

Despite all this, Taehyung still thinks she's beautiful. Breathtaking, even as she dozes off, her head lolling on her shoulders. Nowadays, it's hard for her to stay awake and even harder for her to eat. She throws up nearly everything that goes down her throat and the nausea medication gives her terrible headaches, so it's been difficult, to say the least. She did eat some today, though, so he counts that as a blessing.

After five months of Yoonji receiving treatment, Taehyung is beginning to get used to this new reality of life.

He can't wait for this phase to end, however.

Yoonji wears his ring now, said it will remind her to keep fighting even through the tough days, the days where everything seems so bleak. The days that her parents come to visit and Taehyung isn't allowed to see her. The days Taehyung paces the hospital grounds, wondering what he did to piss them off, why they blame him for their daughter's misfortune.

He can't wait for this phase to end.

It's later in the day when he's kicked out once more, rushing to get down to another floor so he doesn't have to run into her parents as they make their way up. He takes his time pacing around the meager gardens, wishing that he had a dog or something to walk to bide the time. He knows he can't just go back up yet; he knows what their car looks like and it sits still parked in the visitor side of the lot.

He waits three hours, far past the time that they usually leave.

It's with great trepidation that Taehyung makes his way back to the proper floor, only to be greeted with the sight of various staff rushing in and out of Yoonji's room. Her parents are standing out in the hall, huddled close. Her mother is weeping.

It's a testament to the power of the moment that Yoonji's father doesn't even speak rudely to him when he numbly comes to stand at their side. The man just turns to him and says, with a voice full of anguish, "her heart stopped beating".

And Taehyung swears in that moment that his does too and when the beeping of the monitor in Yoonji's room starts up again after several shocks to her chest, his heart restarts with hers.

But nothing is the same.

After that, Yoonji is no longer Yoonji, even when he crawls into bed with her and cradles her to his chest.

Taehyung now knows better than anyone how quickly things can change.

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As he runs towards the towering hospital on the horizon, Taehyung begs Yoongi, this stranger, not to leave him.

Please hold on.