Twisted Every Way || Vmin/Yoonmin {Complete}

4 -- Singularity

"No, you weren't," Jimin agreed, though the memory of Taehyung trying to pirouette with no coordination only revert to sloppy body rolling was still making him giggle. Still, once Taehyung had gotten the hang of it, he seemed as though he could be a passionate dancer if he wanted to be. If nothing else, he had been a fast learner.

"I guess it was easier to hang out here than anywhere else," Taehyung mused, "Since things were so strict back at my place and your mom was always so ill." There was a pause in which Jimin gazed out into the distance for a moment, but it was brief enough that Taehyung failed to notice.

"And when it was too cold," Jimin said numbly, "We'd just sit around at the cafe instead. They must have dreaded days with poor weather because of us. I wonder how surprised they would be if we went there together after all of this time." He cracked a small smile, just as Taehyung perked up, looking at him with a more grim expression.

"Jimin. Whatever happened to your mom?" he asked slowly, realizing that he had never thought to ask before now. Yet before Jimin could even answer, Taehyung knew what he was going to say just from the sadness in his eyes despite his gentle smile.

"She passed away, Tae. Almost three years ago."

For a long moment they stared at one another. Jimin could only keep the look of optimism forced on his face for so long. He wasn't about to cry or get emotional; he was stronger than that. But Taehyung could still still see all of the vulnerability in his eyes. Considering Jimin had grown up without a father, Taehyung knew well that his mother was all that he had. It pained him to think about how lonely he must have been not only at the loss of his only living relative, but also at not having anybody to comfort him. At thinking such things and seeing such an expression in Jimin's eyes, Taehyung had to actively fight to resist from embracing him. For a moment he almost settled on holding his hand instead, only pulling away when he watched the way Jimin ceased to breathe when his fingertips brushed the top of his hand. Worried that such gestures were unwelcome, Taehyung looked down quickly, causing Jimin some confusion and a tinge of disappointment.

"I'm sorry," Taehyung said quietly, and for a moment Jimin wasn't sure if he was apologizing for his loss, or because of his attempted intimacy--or even because his lack of courage to follow through with it.

"It's alright," he replied tenderly, his voice barely more than a whisper. Taehyung nearly felt chills up his spine at hearing him speak in such a way. When the redhead said nothing, the blond gave a soft sigh, deciding to assume the meaning of his words. "She's in a better place now, without any pain. But, Tae... Do you remember when you told me you were leaving?"

"Yeah," Taehyung said, still looking down. "We were sitting right here."

"That's right," Jimin said, watching him. "You were really quiet that day. I couldn't do anything to make you laugh, or even really talk. It took forever for you to even admit that something was wrong." His heart felt heavy just thinking about it; Taehyung had never been so silent. Even when he was upset or angry, he was more likely to express his thoughts to Jimin rather than keep them in. 

"It was all so sudden," Taehyung said distantly, as though he were reliving it in his mind. "I got home from class one day and my father pulled me aside. All of the decisions had already been made for me. I could barely accept it myself, much less tell you about it."

"And when you finally did," Jimin said, his voice almost starting to tremble. "That hurt. More than I could express." Though he had never let his emotions out to their full intensity in front of him, Jimin remembered crying alone that evening after he and Taehyung had parted ways. He remembered feeling helpless, completely lost at how he was supposed to go on without him--even if he had managed in the aftermath. Still, the memory of it made him want to break all over again.