Stand by Me

Chapter 35

~Four Years Later~

Despite Jimin's devotion and hard work on Yoongi's case, four years still passed in the blink of an eye. Attorney Lee and Investigator Yoo had enough evidence to request a retrial, but pushing a retrial through the system along with several appeals quickly became an exhaustive battle. The courts dragged their feet, allowing time to slip by as if it were sand in an hourglass. Regardless of their relentless efforts, Yoongi still sat in prison labeled as a convicted murderer. Jimin's battles for evidence had dissolved into daily battles for financial stability over the past four years. 

He'd taken on three jobs and dropped out of his senior year of high school. He'd been there to celebrate Jin and Namjoon graduating, but he never made it himself. Jimin moved into Yoongi's home permanently. His parents had kicked him out months after Yoongi was arrested and they cut all ties with him not long after, so he'd been living in Yoongi's home temporarily for months before it became permanent. His parents saw the news about Yoongi and cut their losses. They disowned Jimin and left him penniless despite his family's wealth. They froze his accounts and drained every cent he had in his bank account.

In order to support Yoongi's attorney fees, commissary money, and the private investigator fees on top of his own living expenses, Jimin had picked up job after job. Jin and Namjoon had tried to cover some of the fees and repeatedly offered, but Jimin would always refuse and hide the bills so they couldn't pay for it without telling him or getting his permission. Jimin always insisted he could handle the finances and didn't need financial help. Namjoon and Jin eventually gave in after countless arguments and allowed Jimin to handle all the finances while they helped in other ways. They brought Jimin meals when he worked double shifts or treated him to outings on his rare days off. They took him shopping, and visited him every week to make dinner with him.

With every passing month of separation, Jimin and Yoongi only became closer. They saw each other every Saturday during visitation hours and they called one another every day when Jimin took his lunch break. They'd only been granted two physical visits since Yoongi had been incarcerated. The second of which was only two months ago. In the past four years being granted only two physical visits had torn the couple to shreds and left them aching for the feel of each other's bodies. Neither admitted it, but every Saturday their eyes mirrored the same desperation and mental exhaustion that they tried to conceal from each other. When they spoke over the phone every day they were honest about their emotions and struggles rather than trying to hide their individual suffering away from one another.

Yoongi had isolated himself in the prison at first and focused on nothing but his rage and agony. It eventually drove him up the wall and he exploded at their first physical visit. He broke down in sobs in front of Jimin, a rare occurrence for him. Since then Jimin had helped Yoongi talk through his bubbling emotions every day and put them into productive pass times like exercise, reading and cooking. Yoongi had gotten involved in the prison's kitchen and made a few cents an hour that he sent to Jimin every month. The money wasn't much, but it was all he could do and he knew Jimin needed every cent. He read and exercised in his time off to chase away the feeling of being in a cage. He'd made a few friends, but he chose to mainly keep to himself. Jin and Namjoon called and talked with him regularly and often visited at least once a month for Saturday visitation hours. Namjoon and Yoongi wrote personal letters to one another frequently and often several times a week. They'd become one another's personal gateways into their respective worlds. They had been childhood friends and with Yoongi's incarceration weighing on them both they'd vowed to be open and honest in their letters. They gave one another comfort and understanding.

Between Jimin's three jobs, he kept up with regular therapy and yoga sessions. Any chance to destress, he took it. He was still on consistent medications for his depression, PTSD and anxiety, but he'd moved to lower doses two years ago after showing improvements. He still mourned the loss of Jungkook and Taehyung, but the grief and pain had dulled to a gentle ache and the happiness of fond memories often overruled the grief now. He visited their graves often with Jin and the pair would sit there for hours and talk to their friends, updating them on their lives. Jimin and Jin stayed close, and became even closer when Jimin's second job had them working together every morning.