Chasing Butterflies

Reunion

"Here are the hangers," Jimin walked into their sunny bedroom holding an armful of clothing hangers. Izzy was finally getting around to putting her clothes in the closet.

"Thanks," Izzy smiled at him and took the hangers from Jimin's hands before dumping them on her bed where her clothes lay in a heap. She began to sift through the pile, seeing what needed to be hung up while she tried to pretend like Jimin hovering in the room wasn't making her nervous.

"Izz?" He called out after a few minutes.
"Yeah?" She turned to face him, holding a familiar turquoise jacket in her hands.
"Do you have to go to work today? I mean, are you okay after the thing with your parents? Are you well enough for it?" Between the gentle hand he placed on her arm and the genuinely worried gaze he held her under, Izzy nearly melted.

"I'll be fine, Jimin, honestly," she laughed a bit awkwardly, nervous from the close proximity. He looked at her a moment longer, scanning her face to make sure that she was in fact okay enough to go to work. He nodded hesitantly and pulled himself away.

"Alright," he smiled, "Well let's at least finish hanging up your stuff before you go." Izzy nodded silently, the turquoise jacket clutched tightly to her chest.

Together, Jimin and Izzy went about hanging up her clothes, moving silently between the pile of clothing on the bed and the open closet. The heap on the bed began to dwindle and Izzy found herself standing at the closet with Jimin beside her as they simultaneously reached to put up a hanger. With both hangers safely in the closet, Izzy paused, staring down at her bare feet. Jimin didn't move either, his eyes were locked on the side of her face and she could feel his warm breath blowing against her hair.

"Jimin?" Izzy whispered so softly that her voice was barely heard.
"Yeah?" His voice was not much stronger than hers.
"Thank you," her grateful eyes turned to look up at him.
"For what?" Jimin looked genuinely confused by her gratitude.
"Everything," she breathed. "I would have frozen in that railway station if you hadn't given me your jacket. You kept trying to talk to me even though I was so cold to you in the beginning. You got me out of a drug-filled apartment. You took me in when I hit rock bottom. You rescued me from my parents that night. And you actually care about me," her eyes were staring to water and Izzy tried desperately to keep the tears from falling.
"You took care of me from the very first day we met, and I don't think I ever thanked you for that, Jimin." She looked up into his wonderful eyes, "So thank you." Not even a fraction of a second managed to pass by before she was in his arms, pressed against his body in a tight hug.

"God Izzy," he breathed into her hair, his voice sounded shaky, as if he was on the verge of crying himself.
"You never have to thank me for any of that. I care about you—you know I do—and I would to it all again in a heartbeat," he swallowed thickly and held her even closer.
"I don't think you understand how fully you have me wrapped around your fingers. Just say the word and I'll come running to you." Izzy dug her face into the crook of his neck, and he let her tears drop onto his skin.

"If I didn't know any better I'd say that you're actually trying to make me cry," she laughed weakly.
"Never," Jimin stated firmly, his fingers running gently through the tangled strands of her hair. "You know, I'm really proud of you," he spoke softly.
"Why?" Izzy looked up at him with a tiny crease between her eyebrows.
"Because you've been clean for nearly a week now," he stated proudly and grinned at her.
"I have?" Izzy was amazed that he had kept track of this when she hadn't.
"Yes," he nodded, "I know it's hard to get clean, we all watched Namjoon struggle to do it. But he made it and so will you," he grinned happily down at Izzy and hugged her even closer. They stood for a minute in their comfortable  embrace, neither one said a word.