artistry [yoonmin au]

9. re•cru•de•scence(n.)

recrudescence(n.)
°the recurrence of an undesirable condition.

[jimin f.p.]

jimin was never one to pry. he would rather keep to himself and be left alone while dealing with problems, so he thought it best that people received the same treatment from him.

he has learned that this wasn't always the ideal way to help people in their darker times.

yoongi had never been this distant with him. he didn't know how to react to the feeling. he'd never been very emotionally attached to people in general, but he felt like he should check o n him again. he really wanted to...but he would only be left on seen again.

jimin laid in bed staring at his messages. they were annoyingly dry. he'd texted yoongi twice in the past day and received no reply. he tried to go check on him at his dorm but hoseok told him that yoongi wasn't feeling well and didn't want to see anyone. jimin understood, so he didn't push the issue.

"you have a visitor , jimin." taehyung said through jimin's closed bedroom door. he sounded slightly nervous. jimin had no idea why. but when he heard shuffling behind his door, he thought it was taehyung trying to get into his room to steal his clothes again (taehyung was bigger than jimin, so when he wore jimin's clothes, they were very tight and made him look larger.)

he was surprised and concerned when he saw yoongi standing in his doorway with a baggy sweatshirt and sweatpants, dark circles surrounding his eyes and a rosy color contrasting with the pale tone of his skin which was even paler than usual. jimin stared not only on shock but also in worry for his partner.

"um...hi," yoongi said before he was nearly tackled in a hug by a nearly sobbing jimin. he sniffled and combed through jimin's hair with his long fingers.

"what's the matter with you yoongi, you're not dying are you?" jimin looked at yoongi with big eyes.

"no, i'm not dying. just a stress cold." yoongi ran his hands through his own hair, it was greasy and wild. jimin wasn't very accustomed to seeing yoongi in this state. he was always so... put together. yoongi sat himself and jimin on jimin's bed. he winced and closed his eyes once they we seated. jimin's eyes widened in concern. "it's just a headache; no worries, beautiful."

they sat in silence for a couple of mnutes, just enjoying each other's breathing and company. although yoongi's breathing was labored, jimin still appreciated the sound of yoongi's presence. it was as though his short wheezes of breath we a sign that despite him distancing himself, he was still there. jimin sat up and looked at his unspoken partner's face. "yoongi, why are you so stressed that you're getting yourself sick?" jimin asked. he had no bad intentions; he was sincerely worried.

"well," yoongi said. "i didn't want to tell you this, but i guess i should." he sighed. " it's a long story."

"i have time," replied jimin.

yoongi looked unusually uneasy; his normal layer of confidence seemed to have evaporated under the heat of his fever, and his calm exterior seemed to have cowered away at the harsh thumping his beating headache. he took two deep breathes before shakily speaking. "well, when my dad was a student, he was just like me. he was a rich heir to a company that he'd been taught how to run for 20 years. the only thing he hated about it was being in the spotlight. he knew he couldn't be himself in public. there would be so much at stake. to tarnish the family name meant to ruin business opportunities, to burn the honor that the men that came before us worked to build. " yoongi looked as if he was about to cry, but no tears formed in his eyes.

"m-my dad was gay. and when his father found out, he tried everything in his power to reverse it. camps, hypnosis, anything. but of course, it didn't work. he was in love with a man almost 4 years older than him. he was about 24 when it happened...my grandfather basicslly sold him." jimin stared in shock and silence as he listened to yoongi tell his story.

"my grandfather- he merged with another business, the deal was that the two companies would merge as long as the heir and heiress were married and had a child to take over their business when they come of age. " yoongi said. he laughed, but there was no humor. his throat scratchy and dry.

"obviously, the two heirs were my parents." yoongi deeply sighed,"but even after everyone telling my father that he'd 'learn to love ' my mother, he never did. he searched for his lover from before he was forced to marry my mom and found out that after 4 years, he had already moved on and got engaged. not at all surprising, but it disheartened him.

" he found out i was pansexual when i was in seventh grade and he's supported me ever since. but my mother has always been homophobic, and hated the fact that my father loved a man more than her despite being the mother of his child. so she abused me without my father knowing. she threatened to tell my grandfather who could take everything away from me. so after i left for college, she told me to never speak to her again unless i were going to come to my senses and not be a 'sinful creation from the depths of hell.'"yoongi stopped talking, catching what little breath he could before concluding his long monologue.

"the other day on our way back from the countryside, she texted me for the first time in three years. it just brought back a tsunami's worth of memories that i've blocked out.'"he said.

"i'm so sorry, yoongi...i don't know what i can possibly do to help, but- but i hope we can get through this..." jimin said, grabbing hold of yoongi's hands.

"we?"

" yes. you and i. you've got me right here whenever you need me." jimin confidently told him.

yoongi's eyes closed in relief. "great," he breathed out "because i can almost assure you that unfortunate things such as this happens a lot more often when my mother is involved. "