It started with a bruise.
A small but dark bruise on the inside of Yoongi's wrist. A small, dark bruise shaped much like the pad of a thumb.
"What happened, Hyung?" Jimin asked during their shared music class one day.
Yoongi's eyes followed Jimin's and he immediately pulled the sleeve of his shirt over the bruise. "I-I'm not sure, honestly," Yoongi said. "It just popped up recently. Must have hit it on something and don't remember."
Jimin frowned. "That's an awfully deep bruise to not remember."
Yoongi shrugged. "You know me," he said. "I get so caught up in my studies that I often forget everything else."
Jimin nodded. That was true of Yoongi. Yoongi was a music major. The one thing - other than Namjoon, of course - that he could always rely on and find happiness in as a kid was music. That's why he'd decided to pursue it at university. And Yoongi was nothing if not dedicated. It sometimes almost became a problem. He'd forget to eat, wouldn't get enough sleep, and could often think of nothing else but his musical creations. His friends worried about him sometimes, but he always waved away their concerns.
Yoongi was also almost impossibly pale. Jimin knew that such milky white skin could show a bruise to be much darker than it actually may have been. So, for the time being, he decided to set his curiosity aside and leave Yoongi be.
But then there was another bruise. And another. And still more. And Jimin became more than concerned. He would sometimes point them out, but Yoongi would often become uncharacteristically angry when Jimin did so. So Jimin stopped mentioning them, but continued to notice them popping up all over Yoongi's wrists. He was worried there were even more, but Yoongi always wore long sleeved shirts, so Jimin couldn't be sure. His mind often wandered to the terrifying thought that Yoongi might be hurting himself. It became such a concern, that Jimin considered bringing it up to Namjoon.
But because he couldn't be sure of anything, and because of how upset Yoongi would often get, Jimin held himself back. He decided that if he ever noticed any bruises anywhere other than Yoongi's wrists, he would tell Namjoon first thing.
-
As the year trudged on, the guys began to see Yoongi less and less. They all assumed it was because he'd gotten too involved in his music as summer vacation approached. Finals were coming up, and it was understood that all of them were spending more time studying.
No one but Jimin noticed that when they did manage to get Yoongi to join them for a few short hours, Chul was never with him. Jimin would ask about him, and Yoongi would insist that Chul, much like everyone else, was deep in his studies and simply couldn't spare the time.
Jimin also began to notice that when they were all together, Yoongi was constantly checking his watch and/or phone. It never failed that after almost exactly two hours of hanging out, Yoongi would have to leave. No one knew why, but again, everyone assumed it was due to finals and the need to study and complete his music projects. They all figured that if Yoongi could be found anywhere, it would be in the production booths at the school.
But Jimin decided one day to tell his friends that he, too, needed to leave shortly after Yoongi did. And he followed Yoongi back to his shared apartment with Chul. Yoongi wasn't heading to work on his music; at least, not that day. And Jimin marched right up to the door with a made up excuse to ask Yoongi if he'd accidentally left a notebook at the restaurant where they'd all been.
He was about to knock when he heard a raised voice coming from the other side of the door.
"I'm not going to ask you again. Why are you late?"
"I-I'm sorry." Jimin heard Yoongi's timid voice. "I lost track of time and – "
"Lost track of time while doing what? Fucking someone else?"
"W-What? No! I – "
"Come here."
Jimin heard a whimper. "No, please..."
"Come. here," the other voice repeated dangerously.
"Please, I just – "
Jimin heard quick footsteps and then a smacking sound. Yoongi cried out, and what followed was another smack.
"Why are you not doing as you're told?" Smack "Why are you arguing with me?" Smack "What's made you suddenly so brave?" Smack
"I-I'm sorry!" Yoongi's voice was anguished. "I'm not trying to be disobedient, I swear!"
Jimin took a step back from the door in surprise. This did not sound like the strong and self-assured Yoongi that he knew. This sounded like a scared child.
Jimin jumped as a loud thud resounded from inside the apartment.
"Please!" Yoongi's voice cried out. "Don't!"
"Shut up!" There was a sickening 'oof' that followed. "Shut up and take what you deserve!"
Jimin couldn't be sure as to what was going on at that point, but he could still hear what sounded like a scuffle.
"I'm sorry!" Yoongi said weakly. "I-I'm so sorry."
"Not good enough! You're not going out with those so-called friends of yours anymore. Understand? I've given you chance after chance. I've been nice. And this is how you repay me - by being late? From now on, you will go to classes, then come straight home! Do I make myself clear?"
"Y-Yes," Yoongi whimpered.
"What was that?! Speak up, you little bitch!"
"Yes!" Yoongi said a bit louder. Jimin heard another 'oof' before the other voice hissed.
"Good."
Then there were footsteps again, fading away. Jimin waited, debating on whether or not he should knock. He inexplicably felt like doing so would make matters worse at this point. As he contemplated, he began to hear soft sobbing. And his heart shattered into pieces.
Finally, he walked away. He hated to do so, but he didn't want to cause any trouble. What had just transpired was bad, and the insistence that Yoongi not see any of them anymore was causing Jimin to believe Yoongi's situation would only grow worse if he intervened at that point.
Tears clouded Jimin's vision as he numbly walked home. He didn't know what to do.
-
The next day, Jimin felt sick to his stomach when Yoongi didn't show up to class. He looked for him all around the music wing of the school, but couldn't find him anywhere. It was unlike Yoongi to miss classes. He was so dedicated that skipping seemed out of the realm of possibilities.
And because of that, Jimin began to panic. Could something else have happened to his friend? Something worse than what he'd overheard the day before?
"Are you alright?"
Jimin jumped as he was gathering his items after dance class. He looked up and saw the concerned face of a student he didn't recognize watching him carefully.
"Uh." Jimin was confused. "Do I know you?"
"No," the younger boy said. "I've just seen you here in class and around. You're always so poised and concentrated in class. But - and no offense - today you seemed rather...distracted. And I noticed the look on your face. So again, are you alright?"
"I'm fine," Jimin said, trying to push past the boy.
"I know we don't know each other," the boy continued. "But if you need someone to talk to – "
"I have plenty of friends to talk to," Jimin replied curtly.
"Right," the boy said. "Of course." Jimin turned to leave, but the boy caught him gently by the wrist. "But, just in case, here's my number." The boy held up a piece of paper, but Jimin was too distracted by the boy's hand wrapped around his wrist.
If the boy were holding his wrist tighter, it could cause a bruise. And it began to occur to Jimin...the bruises on Yoongi's wrists were shaped like the pads of fingers.
Is this how Yoongi had gotten them? From someone grabbing his wrists too roughly?
"Jimin?"
Shaken out of his thoughts, Jimin looked up again. He took the paper from the boy, if for no other reason than to get him to leave him alone. "Thanks, I guess," Jimin muttered as he turned and walked away.