You can't save me, I'm damaged goods.

Being me

We sat at the coffee shop for a long time actually. We talked a lot about random stuff. I got to know about how he ripped his pants at his last job, so he quit it to work at the restaurant instead. It was really hard as he was talking not to laugh at his story. "So, after a while, my coworker came and told me everyone could see my a-" he started but got interrupted by me laughing a bit hysterically. I'm sure that the other people around us thought I was crazy, but at that moment I didn't care. I just kept laughing until I couldn't breathe.

It had been so long since I last laughed as much as I did now. Maybe all the laughter had been bottled up over the months only to be released now. Anyways, when I first started I didn't stop, so it didn't take long before tears were rolling down my cheeks.

Jungkook was just looking at me in the beginning, but after a while, he actually cracked a smile and started laughing with me.

At this point, I was basically suffocating from the lack of air, so I tried taking a few deep breaths to calm myself. It worked a little, and I could take a small sip from my drink.

"Sorry," I said after taking yet another deep breath. "Don't apologize" Jungkook told me. "It was nice, to see you so happy, I mean. I liked it". I blushed and looked down, drying the remaining tears of my cheeks. "Normally you seem so sad" he mumbled lowly, but I could still hear it. I looked up at him with a shocked and a bit horrified expression on my face. Had he noticed that there was something wrong with me? Was he grossed out? He met my gaze and simply shrugged his shoulders before returning to his drink.

We stayed there a bit longer, but soon we were both empty for drinks and money. We had ordered a lot more after the first watermelon and banana milk.

We were just strolling down the streets, and I noticed a bit of change in my walk. It seemed easier, lighter almost. I felt lighter too. It felt a bit like I was walking on a cloud.

As we rounded a corner I saw a playground not far from us. "Oh, come on let's go!" I exclaimed and grabbed Jungkook's hand while I dragged him with me. I wasted no time on the other stuff before jumping directly to the swings.

They were always my favorite as a child. No matter how high or fast you went you could always feel the wind ruffling your hair, giving the illusion of flying. The sky seemed almost liquid when you bent your head back to look at it. The colors of the sun, clouds, and sky blending together to a colorful swirl. As you looked at it there was nothing you wanted to do more than reach up and touch it.

It seemed as if no matter how old I got, the swings never seemed less exciting and fun. I wasted no time as I jumped on it starting to swing it back and forth, desperate to get more speed. I didn't notice Jungkook as he sat on the swing next to me, but suddenly he flew past me, already double the speed of me. "Hey! That's not fair" I shouted, teasingly. "You can't expect me to not give it my all can you?" He teased back. I noticed his hair was quite long, and now it whipped across his face like a hurricane, and yet, he managed to look so graceful. Like he had practiced for swinging on this particular swing his whole life. His jacket now hung open and revealed, once again, his muscular body, covered by a tight-fitting sweater. I was stunned by his beauty and completely forgot to increase my speed.

My legs gave up under me, causing me to silently slide down as my knees bent. I didn't fall off, but I did lose my balance a bit. Jungkook seemed to notice as he too stopped moving, letting his body drop to his knees. His face was at my level when our gazes met, and I felt tears brimming in my eyes. Not wanting him to realize this, I closed my eyes and leaned my head against the back of the swing.

My throat started to close a little and I felt this pain, stronger than usual, beating and punching through my chest. Like my chest tried to beat it's way out. My breath hitched in my throat a little while I tried to calm myself.

I opened my eyes and they made their way back to his face. The change in his expression was abrupt and painful. Just a couple of seconds ago, he had a smile even wider than mine on his face, his eyes glistening with excitement. His eyes were not glistening now. They looked so deep, almost hollow and so, so sad. The rest of his face didn't look sad exactly, it was more like a poker face. The face of someone not wanting to reveal their feelings. He might have fooled me too, or a stranger maybe, but his eyes.... His eyes told me everything I needed to know.

"Sorry" I mumbled, still looking at his face. "Sorry for what" He murmured back, his voice soft, but his face hard. Our swings were completely still now, and I put my feet down on both sides to support me. "For being me" I whispered back, too low for him to hear.

Jungkook's POV

"For being me" Jimin whispered, his voice blending in with the soft wind. I pretended not to hear it because I knew the words were not for me to hear. Yet, as I heard him say them, I felt anger and sadness well up in my heart, threatening to choke me. I wasn't angry at Jimin, of course. I couldn't possibly be angry with him. No, I was angry, infuriated even, at the people who made Jimin think he was even one ounce less perfect than what he was. I wanted to go and find them, every single one, but I knew that was impossible. Still.... I wanted to...

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Update!
Hope you like the new chapter and thank you so much for reading.
Sorry for taking long... school was awful...