The Hidden Treasure

~65~

The stage went dark and the seven men clambered to reach their dressing room.  Everyone exhausted and ready to collapse.  They had been doing back-to-back promotions and the schedule was wearing them all thin.  Even Jungkook, who was never one to show his fatigue, was pressing his back on the cool wall.

Namjoon lowered his weary body into a nearby chair. His nostrils were flared and he was sucking in whatever air he could. Stylist arms all reached in to remove his stage outfit and he simply let himself be undressed like a child. He nodded his gratefulness at being allowed to keep his pants on. He was pretty sure they were stuck to his legs like glue by now anyway. He laid his head back and closed his eyes to shut out all of the hustle and bustle going on in the small room.

"These new dances are fun but hard. And whose idea was it to put them back-to-back?  Three songs in a comeback stage?  What were we thinking?" groaned Taehyung, falling into the chair beside Namjoon. 

The elder laughed and slapped Taehyung's bare shoulder.  He grimaced at the feeling of cold, clammy skin.  "Yah, put something on!"  he said, looking up at his friend and scowling.  He wiped his hand on a nearby towel and slowly pulled himself out of the chair.  He felt like his bones were creaking.  Is this what getting old is like?  Or perhaps he was just really out of shape from all the time they'd had off.

Taehyung groaned loudly and grabbed a t-shirt one of the managers had place on the table in front of him.  "I'm too hot to put clothes on," he whined, struggling to get his sweaty skin through the fabric.

A pair of hands grabbed the hem and helped yank it down over his head and to his waist.  "Thanks," he mumbled.

"No problem," grinned Jimin into the mirror in front of them.  He patted Taehyung's shoulder and made his way to a nearby small sofa.  He sat down and unconsciously rubbed his sore leg.  He had been practicing hard the last few weeks in preparation for their delayed comeback and his body was certainly paying for it.  He removed his mic pack and laid it beside him on the arm of the sofa and breathed a sigh of relief to be free from it.  A hand touched his back and began massaging it.  He groaned and leaned forward.  He didn't care who it was, he just cared that they kept going.  His back was horribly sore and stiff.

"You should probably do some heat therapy on this when we get home," came the low, quiet voice of Yoongi.  He continued rubbing Jimin's back, being careful to avoid the terribly sore spots after he found them.

Jimin felt like his breath was being taken away every time Yoongi's hand hit a painful place.  Heat therapy might not be such a bad idea.  "I think I'll take your advice and do that.  How much longer before we leave?"  He sat up, exhaling slowly as his spine readjusted to his new position. 

"Hopefully not too long.  I think I heard one of the managers ask for the vans.  Hang in there." Yoongi withdrew his hand and stood to his feet, grunting his displeasure at being forced to do this all over again tomorrow.

Jimin grinned at the grumpy rapper and attempted to stand up himself but quickly fell back down into his seat, inhaling sharply.  Every pair of eyes in the room immediately fell on him and he waved them all away. 

"I'm okay," he said tightly.  A hand appeared in front of him and he looked up to see a smiling J-Hope offering to help him up.  As much as it hurt what little pride he had left, he nodded and took hold of his friend's offered hands, allowing himself to be pulled into an upright and standing position.  He grimaced as everything popped and cracked its way into place.