Beyond Repair (Min Yoongi) [UPDATED]

15. Persona

Yoongi groaned in protest to waking up on Sunday morning, especially waking up alone (the bed was cold, which told him Jimin had gotten up some time ago), but he sat up, anyway, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He tentatively stretched his arms and legs and twisted his back from side to side, shivering in satisfaction at the series of tiny 'crack's that popped up his spine.

"Good morning," Jimin said as he entered the room. He sat on the bed and tucked a strand of hair behind Yoongi's ear. Yoongi closed his eyes and leaned into the touch, letting Jimin cup his cheek. "I was just coming to wake you. How are you feeling?"

"Tired," Yoongi answered through a yawn, "but fine. I am, uh, kind of ner-nervous, though."

"That's okay," Jimin said.

Yoongi squinted one eye open in a skeptical glare, part of him wondering if Jimin was joking. He was surprised that Jimin had chosen to validate his anxiety instead of telling him there was no need to worry. "Really?"

"It's a big day," Jimin said casually with a small shrug, rubbing his thumb back and forth across Yoongi's cheek. "First public appearance since you've been back. I'd be surprised if you weren't at least a little nervous. It is time to get ready, though. The conference doesn't start until three, but we have to be there by ten so the stylists have time to work on you."

Yoongi frowned, opening his other eye and blinking against the light coming through the sheer curtains. "Work on me?"

"Yeah, you know, styling your hair, choosing your clothes, doing your makeup, the usual stuff."

"That never takes more than an hour," Yoongi pointed out. "Why do they need five?"

"Well, I mean, if you think about it..." Jimin retracted his hand to scratch the back of his neck, pausing as if in search of the right words, "you've changed a lot since the last time they saw you. They'll need to cut your hair and probably dye it, find out which style will work the best, and find a way to do everything they need to do without touching you."

Yoongi perked up at that, almost afraid to hope he'd heard that last part right. "They're...not going to touch me?"

"No." A small smile softened Jimin's eyes. "Namjoon let Sejin know about your problem with being touched too much, and Sejin told the stylists, so they know what to expect. They might be used to working with idols, but they're also good at figuring out how to work with clients with, ah, unique needs."

Relief spread through Yoongi like water through a dry sponge. "Good."

"So, go ahead and get dressed," Jimin said, retrieving a neatly-folded stack of clothing from the foot of the bed that definitely hadn't been there when they'd gone to sleep the previous night, "and I'll be waiting for you in the hall and we can go downstairs together for breakfast. Hoseok made kimbap!" And he was out the door before Yoongi could get another word in edgewise.

Yoongi changed out of his pajamas and into the clothes that one of his partners (probably Jimin) had picked out for him: a white t-shirt, a black hoodie, faded gray jeans, and a sports headband to keep his shaggy hair out of his face. After retrieving his phone from the charging port and slipping it into the pocket of his jeans, he joined Jimin in the hall.

"Good morning!" Hoseok greeted, handing Jimin two plates before bringing his own to the table.

Yoongi took his seat and shrugged. "The phrase, 'good morning' has always sounded like a contradiction to me."

"It's hardly our fault you've never been a morning person. The least you could do is say good morning back to be polite," Seokjin chastised.

"It's not my fault, either," Yoongi said. "Besides, you've never been much of an early bird yourself. All I'm saying is that to put the words, 'good' and, 'morning' together is an oxymoron."