Ocean Eyes

Chapter 2: Tide

Jimin hears a distant murmur. He tries to move, but his head appears to be trapped inside a beehive - heavy, throbbing and buzzing. The source of the noise persists until he is forced back into reality. He looks around for his cell phone, and finally finds it hanging by the end of his bed. Looking at the time, he realizes that he has an hour and a half until his first class.

Getting up from bed brings an awful headache, his eyes feel swollen with the amount of tears they provided them from the previous night. Tiredness attaches to his body and refuses to leave - result of a sleepless night.

He could barely nap for five minutes before his brain made him analyzing everything that had happened the night before. Jimin is physically and mentally injured – his head is a mess of regret and hurt, feeling distressed and disappointed. Heartbroken is the right emotion for describing him.

How stupid he was.

Jimin thinks about skip classes – don't feel like going anywhere really, he doesn't think he would be able to understand anything at the moment, but he sighs when he realizes he would need to go to work anyway. Plus, he is pretty sure that if he stayed home to have a pity party, he would somehow end up coaxing himself to do a thing he would regret later.

Marks of fingers on his thighs where his shorts went up, makes it clear he will need to cover the evidence somehow. He remembers that Taehyung keeps a box of makeup on the last shelf of the bathroom, and as quietly as possible walks to the place, remembering that two other people are also occupying the apartment.

Jimin don't even want to think about what Taehyung would do if he found out everything that happened. Embarrassment emerges between his ribs when he remembers about the jealousy he felt from the other boy; how many times he wished to be like the other.

Taehyung always says that Jimin is irreplaceable and unique, doing his best to boost the boy self-esteem, but Jimin doesn't think the other would understand the feeling of inferiority, to try your best and just to fail miserably. Because the truth is, where Jimin strives to become a flower, Taehyung is already a whole garden – a lovely and exuberant one.

The image he finds in front of the mirror is as he expected it would be. His eyes are red and his face is swollen, marks decorate his neck and wrists, muscles of his back creaking where they were thrown against sharp objects. Remnants of a fight, that Jimin wish he was able to forget.

He faces the mirror for another minute, and the shame is not late to arrive. Once again he found himself being deconstructed in the hands of others, and that brings a bitter taste of resentment on his mouth. The disgust with himself this time, is stronger than the urge to cry and he swallows the familiar knot forming on his throat.

He stands on tiptoes and pulls the box carefully so it doesn't fall to the floor and wake up the two lovers. The concealer is concentrated and gives effective coverage to the areas that need it the most. He feels a cool breeze coming in through the bathroom window and welcomes the opportunity to wearing one of his turtlenecks, knowing that the choice will not be questioned due the cold weather. He doesn't find anything to cut from his lip, but he can always invent an accident. He's very good at it, making excuses.

The time on the screen of his phone shows that he probably should finish getting ready, so he opens the wardrobe picking up the pieces of clothing to hide his past actions, and makes a brief mental note that he needs to wash his clothes. Melancholy makes the task difficult, and the relapses of memories makes it take longer to finish the tasks than he wished.

He is finishing preparing his coffee, when a sleepy Taehyung enters the room. "Jiminie, I'm dying." He speaks, hoarse voice and closed eyes, trying to find the kitchen counter seat.