butterfly lips。『 minjoon 』

fourteen

》chapter fourteen: everyone knows, yet the gods still punish《

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JIMIN woke up to the sound of quiet and steady beeping. he hadn't opened his eyes, yet the smell of cleaning supplies and sickness told him where he was. he squeezed the stiff linen blanket under him, bunching it around his hands as he slowly opened his eyes. the light from the ceiling was strong and aggressive, too white and pristine to be comfortable for his eyes. as he reached up to rub his eyes there was a slight tug to his arm made him stop. he looked down and spotted the needle sticking into his forearm, connected to a clear pouch.

a blur of voices neared him and he froze, immediately closing his eyes. they came from behind the door, that was slightly ajar and allowed him to faintly hear the conversation that the two unknown people were having.

"doctor... can't you do anything to save him?" that voice was namjoon's.

"the cocoons in his lungs... they're so many of them... to take them out would be dangerous. the patient wouldn't make it out of the operation table... " jimin's breath hitched, the room somehow started spinning- or was it his head? "even if you were to be with him, his condition has regressed so badly that it's a miracle that he even lasted this long."

jimin gently pressed his hand against his chest, feeling the steady thump of his heart beat. yet his breathing sounded so off and it was the first time he finally acknowledged just how bad it got. he didn't know what to think of it, his brain just simply couldn't process the fact that he's a dead man. he swallowed thickly, letting his hand drop to his side. 'moving to japan now wouldn't be possible...' his lips twitched, 'shame, i already had an apartment there.' he heard the door slowly open and he pretended to awaken from that.

"jimin... you're awake." namjoon breathed out. jimin slowly looked up at the other man and guilt stabbed into his chest. his chocolate eyes had heavy bags underneath and were bloodshot. jimin gripped the sheets even tighter, his heart beginning to beat quickly and the monitor showed it. he silently cursed it, hanging his head low as he realized that trying to keep his composure would be useless. namjoon seemed as if he wanted to walk closer but didn't, as if he were waiting for jimin to say something.

jimin sighed, his shoulders drooping. "wh- " he coughed, his throat felt absolutely awful. as if sandpaper rubbed all over it and then someone refused to give him water afterwards. namjoon immediately made his way to the table beside jimin, grabbing the pitcher full of water. he poured it into a paper cup and then handed it to jimin, who took it with both hands. he immediately took large gulps full of water, not taking a break to breathe until the water was all gone.

he coughed quietly, feeling namjoon gently pat his back until he finished. jimin looked up at him, then at his arm. namjoon immediately recoiled it, letting his hand rest on his lap. "how are you feeling?" the man asked, his voice small yet steady.

jimin thought back to the conversation that namjoon had with the doctor and a wistful smile spread across his face. he looked at namjoon, eyes full of sincerity. "i'm... wishing that i never met you." the words felt like knives to his own chest, tears already prickling his eyes and he can't tell if it's his own tears or namjoon's pain that he can now feel.

the soul bond was such an awful thing.

"jimin-"

"i want to see taehyung. is he here?" jimin asked, sitting up straighter. namjoon looked taken aback, eyes wide (akin to the eyes of a hurt puppy). jimin immediately looked away from his gaze to the needle in his pale thin arm. the little veins under his skin were blue and it made jimin want to squirm.