My Hero | Vmin

Chapter 5 - Crush

Mornings were always the worst time of the day. It wasn't just the fact that Jimin had to get up early - though that sucked too - it was how incredibly sore his legs always felt as he laid in bed. Helpless: completely unable to move.

"Baby," his mum called from the hallway. He heard the door creak open, but he just kept staring up at the ceiling like he had for the last hour and twenty six minutes. "Jiminie," she whispered. "We need to get up."

We? Why we?

It had been like that with her ever since Jimin lost the ability to walk. As if she was a part of Jimin. She technically was since Jimin couldn't do anything without her, but he found this treatment patronising.

He could handle himself if he wanted to.

"Come on, sweetheart." She pulled him up so he was sitting on the bed and started to unbutton his sheet.

"Mum," Jimin groaned as he turned his body away from her. "I'm not paralysed, I can do it myself."

She looked at him as he fiddled with the buttons and tears started to well up in her eyes. "Yes, you're right. I'm sorry, Jiminie. You just don't know how scared I was when - when - "

"Mum, stop it. Please," Jimin begged. "It's been more than two years now, you always overreact. I'm fine now, Jeongguk's fine now, the idiot who was driving the truck got what he deserved. You can't let that incident control your life." "The way it controls mine," Jimin thought to himself.

"I'm sorry, angel," she apologised. Her hands covered her face as she wiped her tears away. Jimin noticed how cracked and wrinkled the skin had become in the last two years, his mum changed so much after the incident.

He hated himself for how foolish he'd been.

The ability to move was the most important thing he had ever had and he went and threw all of that away.

"Mum," Jimin said. "Could you help me please?"

A smile lit up his mum's face as if she was a little child who had just been offered a lollipop. She nodded and got to work. Jimin didn't really need the help, he just wanted to make his mum happy.

Warning: adorable Jeongguk smile approaching

"Jimin-ah," Jeongguk said with a goofy bunny grin on his face. Jimin rolled the wheels of his wheelchair closer to the open door, but Jeongguk grabbed the handles at the back of the chair to help Jimin move down the ramp to the side walk.

"I can do it myself," Jimin huffed as he crosses his arms and pouted; letting Jeongguk do all they work anyway.

Jeongguk giggled, "Bad start to the day I see." Jimin sighed and Kookie's expression quickly turned more serious. "Want to talk about it?" he asked.

"It's just ... ugh! It's so frustrating. I know I look helpless, but that doesn't mean I'm in need of help. My mum just doesn't get that."

"Does that apply to me too?" Jeongguk asked.

Jimin looked back at Jeongguk and grinned, reaching up to pinch his cheek. "Of course it doesn't apply to my Kookie. If it did, I'd let you know. I like it when you're willing to help me, it makes me feel loved."

Jeongguk frowned, "Can you stop trying to tear my cheek off please?" Jimin laughed but didn't let go. "Jimin ..." Jeongguk warned. "Let go or I'll tickle you."

"You wouldn't dare," Jimin responded with a threatening tone.

"Want to test me?" Jeongguk replied jokingly.

"You wouldn't dare," Jimin repeated.

Jeongguk reaches over Jimin from behind and grabbed his sides. Jimin yelped in response. Jeongguk grinned as he started to tickle him. At first, Jimin tried to hold back the laugher that welled up inside him, his face turning red. However, that soon became impossible.

"Okay! Stop! You win! You win!" he cried out as he laughed, trying to push Jeongguk's hands away.

"Are you sure?" Jeongguk responded teasingly.

"Of course! Get away! Get away! Ah! Hahahaha! Please! Stop!" he yelled. Jeongguk soon gave in to the sweet pleas. "Idiot," Jimin mumbled.

"Hey! I can always start again."

Jimin went quiet, but cheekily grinned at Jeongguk first.

Jeongguk couldn't help smiling to himself once the boy turned away. This cute boy was his best friend, this was the boy who always helped Jeongguk and always protected him, this was the boy who he had once shared his dream with and it became their dream. The thing they wanted to accomplish together.

This was the boy who beat up two guys who were teasing Jeongguk about the way he looked, after which Jimin was suspended from school. This was also the boy who once stayed up all night with Jeongguk because the younger boy wanted to learn a dance he really liked, after which Jimin stayed in bed all day with a cold. He was the boy who spent every second with Jeongguk when the younger had chickenpox, only for Jimin to catch them himself.

This was the boy who had stolen Jeongguk's heart so long ago, but had never given it back.

He was Jeongguk's crush, only Jeongguk knew that nothing would ever come of those feelings.

Because, the day Jeongguk decided to confess, everything fell apart. Jimin's passion died and Jeongguk's secret only buried itself deeper within the boy's chest.

"Hey, guys!" A familiar voice shattered Jeongguk's thoughts.

"Ah, Taehyungie! You've come to join us," Jimin yelled happily.

"Well, we're going in the same direction so ..." Tae smiled. Jimin smiled back. "You seem happy today. Anything fun happen while I wasn't here?" Taehyung asked Jimin.

The boy in the wheelchair turned back to look at Jeongguk. "It was all Kookie. Not that I asked him to improve my mood, but -" Jimin stopped abruptly half way through his sentence and his smile faded. "Jeongguk, is something wrong?"

Jeongguk's face had gone pale as if he'd just seen a ghost. He chewed on his reddening bottom lip as his brain processed the conversation he was hearing. His hands tightened around the handles of Jimin's wheelchair until his knuckles turned white.

"Jimin-ah," he asked through gritted teeth, "since when do you call Taehyung-ssi 'Taehyungie'?"

-

I do want to note that Jungkook is still younger than Jimin and Taehyung, but he's just too smart (as we all know) and has been moved up to their class.

Thank you for reading. I appreciate all comments and criticism!