Beyond Repair (Min Yoongi) [UPDATED]

8. Reconnecting

Three more nights passed in which Yoongi initially fell asleep alone but woke up in Jimin's arms the next morning.

The first two nights, he'd woken up screaming and opened his eyes to Jimin sitting in front of him on his bed, holding his hands to keep him from hurting himself (but never, ever  touching his wrists, lest there be a repeat of his first night home). Jimin had slept in Yoongi's bed the rest of those nights without having to be asked.

On the third night, Yoongi had slapped himself awake, and when the two seconds of shock wore off, he'd crumbled into breathy, voiceless sobs. After a lengthy mental debate, he had grabbed his cane and shakily made his way downstairs. He'd left his cane in the hall, leaning it against the railing at the bottom of the steps before silently shuffling into Jimin's room, around a laundry basket and past a snoring Hoseok, straight to Jimin's bed. Jimin had awoken with a start when Yoongi pulled back the covers but hadn't said anything before opening his arms and closing his eyes again, and they had fallen back asleep in tandem.

The following morning, Yoongi got up early—well, early for him. Rather than try to go back to sleep when he woke Jimin for the second time that night (a new record; his previous lowest was three), he decided to start the day without the sun. When Jimin asked, Yoongi assured him he was fine and told him to go back to sleep, and Jimin was snoring again by the time Yoongi made it out of the room.

He retrieved his cane and went upstairs to the bathroom that had the soap he liked, got out a towel, and filled the tub with hot, hot water. He took his time in the bath—the whole reason he'd gotten up before eight a.m. was so he wouldn't have to rush and tire himself out too fast—and when he got out, his fingers were pruning and his skin was pink but he felt clean enough to be a person, which made it all worth it. He wrapped his towel around his waist and didn't bother blow-drying his hair (which might have been a mistake because the hallway was freezing) before going back to his own room. He dressed warmly and went to put his pajamas in the hamper with the other dirty laundry before realizing it was full. He braced his weight on the wall as he heaved the hamper off the floor and slung it onto his back, and then he started slowly and carefully back down the stairs, careful not to lose his balance.

"You're up early," Jungkook's soft voice came from the dining area when Yoongi was about halfway down the stairs. For a second, Yoongi wondered how Jungkook knew he was there, but then he remembered his cane made a lot more noise than his feet did.

Yoongi shrugged, though he knew Jungkook couldn't see him yet, and simply said, "I've got stuff to do."

"Like what?" Jungkook asked.

"Just...stuff."

Yoongi reached into Jimin and Hoseok's room as he passed it for the laundry basket just past their door. Now dragging one basket behind him and pushing the other forward with his knee, he was grateful for the smooth floors but still found it significantly more difficult to keep going.

"What am I hearing? What's that sound?"

"Um...clothes?" Yoongi answered, and though he tried to keep his tone casual, he knew his voice sounded strained.

"What are you wearing that's making that—oh God, what are you doing?" Jungkook's sleepy eyes snapped wide open when Yoongi rounded the corner.  "You don't have to do that, let me help you," he said, snatching one hamper up in each hand and carrying them to the laundry closet for him.

"Th-thanks," Yoongi said, more out of breath than he would have liked to admit, leaning on his cane with both hands once they were free.

"You know you're not supposed to be doing chores yet," Taehyung said from the kitchen, and it was only then that Yoongi noticed his presence. The sun was still just below the horizon, and until Jungkook flipped the light switch in the laundry closet and the light dispersed to dimly illuminate the rooms in its path, the whole floor had been dark.