Chapter Text
The night was quiet, except for the hum of the city lights outside the window. Inside the dimly lit room, the atmosphere was heavy, thick with words left unsaid, with tension that had been building for days. Min Yoongi sat on the edge of the bed, his back straight, his arms folded tightly across his chest. He stared out the window, but his gaze was distant, unfocused.
He hated these moments. The moments where everything felt like it was about to break. The moments where his own heart seemed too loud in his chest, fighting to be heard.
From across the room, Park Jimin stood by the door, his fingers nervously twisting the hem of his shirt. His eyes followed Yoongi, watching the man he loved in silence. His heart ached in a way that Jimin couldn’t put into words. No matter how many times they fought, no matter how many times Yoongi shut him out, he always found himself here again—holding on, hoping that this time, things would change.
"Yoongi..." Jimin's voice was soft, tentative.
Yoongi's head snapped toward him at the sound of his name, but he didn’t turn around. His face was unreadable, cold, as if he’d built an impenetrable wall between them.
"Don’t," Yoongi muttered, voice low. His fingers tapped against his knees rhythmically, the only sign that his mind was racing.
Jimin’s heart dropped. He knew this was coming. He’d seen it in the way Yoongi had pulled away the past few days, seen it in the way he was avoiding his touch, his gaze. It was the same cycle, the same fight, over and over again. But every time, Jimin couldn’t help but wonder if this would be the time that Yoongi would let him in—truly let him in.
"I just want to talk," Jimin whispered, taking a step forward. His heart pounded in his chest, and his hands shook. "We can’t keep doing this, Yoongi. You can’t just shut me out every time it gets hard."
Yoongi exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair. He stood up and paced the room, avoiding Jimin's eyes. He wanted to scream, to push Jimin away, to tell him that he wasn’t good enough for him, that this love—this whole thing between them—was too much to handle. But the words got stuck in his throat, tangled in a mess of guilt and anger and something deeper that he couldn’t name.
"You don’t get it," Yoongi said, his voice cracking, but he quickly composed himself. "I’m not what you need. I can’t be what you need."
Jimin’s eyes widened, his breath catching in his throat. "What are you talking about? I need you. I’ve always needed you."
His voice was barely above a whisper, but the weight of his words seemed to hang in the air, suffocating him.
Yoongi finally turned to face him, his eyes filled with something Jimin couldn’t read. "I’m broken, Jimin. You don’t want to deal with that. You think you do, but you don’t. You’ll get hurt. And I’m not the one who’s going to be there to fix it when you do."
Jimin felt his chest tighten, the sharp sting of Yoongi’s words cutting through him like a knife. "I’m not asking you to fix me," Jimin said, his voice thick with emotion. "I just want to be with you. Why is that so hard to understand?"
Yoongi’s eyes flickered for a moment, as if the wall he’d built was wavering just enough for Jimin to see the pain behind it. But in the next second, the barrier was back, and Yoongi took a step back, the distance between them growing.
"I don’t deserve you," Yoongi muttered, his voice barely audible.
Jimin's heart shattered. He closed the space between them in a few long strides, reaching out for Yoongi’s hand. "Don’t say that. Please. I don’t care about what you think you deserve. I care about you."
For a moment, neither of them moved. Jimin’s hand was on Yoongi’s, his touch warm, offering everything he had. But Yoongi didn’t respond. His fingers were stiff, unmoving.
The silence between them felt like an eternity. The words they both wanted to say were trapped in the space that had grown too wide between their hearts.
Yoongi’s breath hitched, and he finally looked at Jimin. His expression was so raw, so vulnerable, that it made Jimin’s heart ache even more. But just as quickly, Yoongi turned away, pulling his hand out of Jimin’s grasp.
"I can’t do this," Yoongi said, his voice breaking. He didn’t look at Jimin again. "I can’t keep dragging you down with me."
Jimin felt the tears threaten to spill, but he bit them back. He couldn’t let Yoongi see him break—he couldn’t show him how much it hurt, how much he needed him to stay.
Yoongi was already walking toward the door, his shoulders tense, as if every step he took away from Jimin was a painful reminder of why he was leaving.
And yet, despite everything, Jimin didn’t move to stop him. He stood there, frozen, watching as Yoongi’s figure disappeared into the hallway.
Maybe this was it. Maybe Yoongi was finally walking away for good. But no matter how much it hurt, Jimin knew he couldn’t make Yoongi stay.
Not unless Yoongi was ready to stay for himself.
The door clicked shut, leaving Jimin in the suffocating silence of the room, his heart still beating in the rhythm of the words that never came.
The sound of the door closing was almost deafening in the quiet room. Jimin stood frozen for a few seconds, staring at the spot where Yoongi had been just moments ago, as if he could will him to come back. But the silence felt heavier than any argument they’d ever had.
His fingers slowly slid down to his sides, and his chest tightened as he let out a shaky breath. Every part of him wanted to run after Yoongi, to pull him back, to beg him to stay, but Jimin knew it wouldn’t change anything. Yoongi was always so sure of what he thought was best, and Jimin was always left chasing after the pieces that Yoongi was too afraid to offer.
Why does it have to be like this? Jimin thought, rubbing his face with his hands, his heart thumping in his chest like it might break open at any moment. He had given everything to Yoongi, yet it never seemed enough.
He moved over to the window, pressing his forehead against the cool glass. Outside, the city pulsed with life, a stark contrast to the emptiness he felt inside. The same city that had watched them fall in love, and now watched as they fell apart.
Jimin closed his eyes for a moment, thinking back to when everything had felt simpler. When their hands had fit together effortlessly, when their laughter was the soundtrack to their late-night walks. But somewhere along the way, things had shifted. Yoongi had pulled away, not just physically, but emotionally, and Jimin couldn’t reach him anymore.
Was it always going to be this way? He wondered, biting his lip, fighting back the sting of unshed tears.
He felt so lost.
With a soft exhale, Jimin pulled away from the window and walked to the couch, collapsing into the cushions with a defeated sigh. His fingers ran over the hem of his sleeve as he glanced at the clock on the wall. Time felt like it was moving so slowly now. How could everything change so quickly?
There was a knock at the door.
Jimin flinched, his heart skipping a beat. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to face anyone right now—if he could handle the weight of more words, more emotions he couldn’t deal with. He hesitated for a moment, before standing up and walking toward the door.
When he opened it, he wasn’t prepared for who stood on the other side.
It was Yoongi.
His face was tense, his usual indifference replaced with something softer—something Jimin couldn't quite read.
"Yoongi?" Jimin whispered, almost in disbelief.
Yoongi shifted on his feet, his hands stuffed into the pockets of his jacket, his eyes flicking to the ground and then back to Jimin’s face. There was a long pause, the air thick with unspoken words.
"I..." Yoongi started, his voice barely above a whisper. "I didn’t mean to leave like that."
Jimin’s heart squeezed in his chest. "Then why did you?" The words slipped out before he could stop them, a mix of frustration, hurt, and hope all tangled together.
Yoongi’s eyes softened, but he still didn’t move closer. "I thought... I thought it would be easier for you if I just walked away. You deserve better than this... than me."
Jimin shook his head quickly, his hands trembling at his sides. "Don’t you dare say that. You’re not a problem, Yoongi." His voice cracked, the weight of the past few hours catching up with him. "We are the problem. Both of us. I don’t know why we can’t figure this out. Why you keep pushing me away when all I want is to be with you."
Yoongi's face flickered with pain. He ran a hand through his hair, clearly at a loss for words. "I’m scared, Jimin. Scared of ruining everything. Scared that I’ll break you like I’ve broken everything else."
Jimin felt his chest tighten as Yoongi’s words hit him like a punch. "I’m not some fragile thing that you’ll break, Yoongi. I want you, all of you. The parts of you that you try to hide, the broken parts, the scared parts. I want to be there, even when it’s messy, even when it hurts."
Yoongi looked at him then, his gaze softening. "You don’t know what you’re asking for. I’m not good for you."
"I don’t care about that," Jimin replied, his voice firm despite the vulnerability in his heart. "I care about you, Yoongi. The real you. Not the version you think is too broken or too messed up. If you keep pushing me away, I’m not going to give up on you, but I can’t keep pretending that I don’t feel like you don’t want me here. Like I’m just a burden to you."
Yoongi’s breath caught, and for a second, he seemed as though he might say something, but he closed his mouth instead. He took a deep breath and slowly approached Jimin, standing just a few inches away now.
"I... I don’t know how to let someone in," Yoongi murmured, his voice barely audible. "I’ve never known how."
Jimin’s heart ached. "Then teach yourself, Yoongi. Teach yourself how to let me in. I’m not going anywhere."
Yoongi’s eyes searched Jimin’s face, and for the first time, Jimin saw a flicker of something like hope in his eyes. But Yoongi didn’t speak again. Instead, he closed the small gap between them, reaching out to place his hand gently on Jimin’s cheek.
The warmth of his touch sent a shiver through Jimin’s body. He closed his eyes, leaning into the touch, a wave of emotion crashing over him.
"Stay with me," Jimin whispered, his voice filled with a quiet desperation.
Yoongi paused, as though weighing the words, and for a long moment, neither of them spoke. But when Yoongi finally answered, his voice was soft, broken.
"I’m trying, Jimin. I really am."
Jimin opened his eyes, meeting Yoongi’s gaze. There was something new there—something unspoken, but real. The cracks in Yoongi’s walls were starting to show, and maybe, just maybe, that was enough for now.
The room, once filled with tension, now felt different—like the start of something new. Something fragile. Something worth fighting for.