Chapter Text
The air was growing colder and colder the further he strayed from one home in search of another. At least he had some extra layers, smothering himself in brown and green fabrics as he trekked through the forests. He wasn’t sure where he was going; he had no aim in particular, he just had to keep walking.
A crash came from behind him along with a series of curses.
He wanted to run, to move as fast as his legs would take him, but a tall figure had already stumbled out from between the trees. It was too late. The person shuffled closer until he could clearly see it was a lanky Air Nomad with brown chest-length hair, dressed in a loose red robe and baggy yellow trousers.
“Oh, hey.” The Air Nomad had a rich, buttery voice.
“Hi…” He felt like he was being strangled.
“Are you lost? You look lost.”
“No,” he lied. He had long since lost track of where he was.
The Air Nomad squinted at him before giving him a soft smile. “I’m Namjoon from the Southern Air Temple.”
“Jimin… from Ba Sing Se.”
Namjoon was handsome, if a bit thin for his height, with sweet dimples and friendly grey eyes, though he lacked the tattoos Jimin had heard all Air Nomad adults supposedly had. Maybe he was younger than he looked, more so a rather tall teenager than a young adult like Jimin himself.
“Can I walk with you?” Namjoon asked, soon continuing when Jimin looked at him with wide, fearful eyes. “Not for long, just until we get back to the main road and then I can get back to my flying bison and the temple.”
Jimin hadn’t known there was a main road to follow, he’d been just wandering around the forests around the Earth Kingdom for almost a month with no map or destination. Maybe he could find his way to a small village to set up a new home, maybe as a farmer, he could learn to farm.
“Yeah, sure.”
__
“And the rest is history.”
“Namjoon fell out of a tree and then propositioned you and now you are happily married?” Seokjin asked with a raised eyebrow. Seokjin was an odd figure. He was the Moon Spirit for a start, but he also had a habit of making what Jimin could only assume were jokes about his past, no one seemed to laugh but him.
“Well, not out of a tree,” Namjoon laughed sheepishly.
“No, that’s exactly what happened, honey,” Jimin corrected his husband, shaking his head.
Namjoon blushed, fiddling with Jimin’s small fingers. “Ok but to be fair to myself, I was only twenty-one and I wasn’t exactly a master airbender yet.”
“Yeah, you’re much better now,” Jimin hummed as he reached up a hand to pull Namjoon closer by the side of his head, running his fingers over his fuzzy hair. He had shaved it to get his tattoos and had kept it short ever since. “I miss the long hair but spirits I love your short hair so much.”
“Mhm, I love you,” Namjoon said with a wide, loving grin.
“I love you too,” Jimin replied, giving his husband a quick peck on the lips.
Taehyung huffed. He had initially been nervous around the Avatar but looking at him now, half on Seokjin and half on Jungkook with a pout on his lips, Jimin couldn’t believe anyone could ever fear him. He supposed it would be easier if they didn’t know how clingy he was with his friends.
“What’s wrong?” Jungkook asked as he fiddled with his clay and chewed on his lip ring. He never sat still.
When they had first met, the earthbender was almost as reserved as Jimin himself, entirely curled up on himself. Over time, he became louder and louder, boisterous even, happy to lovingly tackle his friends and recite things he had learnt for hours on end. At least Namjoon enjoyed his company, he found a worthy intellectual opponent as well as someone to cover in sprawling tattoos.
“They’re so in love and it’s so unfair,” Taehyung mumbled through his pout.
Seokjin chuckled, “I believe the phrase ‘I am right here’ applies right now, my dear.”
Hoseok snorted out a loud laugh, practically falling into Yoongi’s lap from the force of it. He was undoubtedly the loudest of the group, the smiliest as well. He had never understood why Jimin was so anxious around new people, especially when Hoseok himself was so extroverted, but he had no problem with hiding Jimin away when he got overwhelmed.
“It does,” Yoongi agreed with a small nod.
The healer had been an enigma to Jimin at the start, his stoic face and countless scars adding to his mystery, but it didn’t take long for him to figure Yoongi out once they had started living together. He was a simple man with simple pleasures; good food, reading himself to sleep, playing music, knitting and caring for others but getting shy when they expressed their gratitude. However, he seemed to have the most complicated relationship with Seokjin, Jimin could feel the tension whenever the two waterbenders caught each other’s eye.
“How did you stay together then?” Seokjin questioned.
The couple glanced at each other.
“That’s more… complicated,” Namjoon said slowly.
“To put it as simply as possible, I needed help and the temple offered it,” Jimin sighed as he pulled his long sleeves down as far as they could go, hiding most of his hands. He didn’t want to think about his situation back then more than necessary.
Namjoon didn’t give him a second glance, he was used to the nonbender’s secrecy by then, they all were. That was except for their newcomer. Seokjin had only been with the rest of the group for a few months, though he and Taehyung had been together for going on a year, he couldn’t be expected to know the lay of the land yet.
“I do respect the Air Nation deeply for their unconditional compassion for others,” Seokjin hummed, his eyes boring into Jimin like he was trying to pick him apart just by watching him. “It is a shame the other nations do not have similar sentiments.”
“Yeah, it would make my life a whole lot easier,” Taehyung grumbled. He had only gotten back from the Fire Nation a week before after spending two whole months trying to sort out a series of land disputes that threatened to destroy countless small villages and their farmland. Jimin didn’t envy Taehyung or the parts of their team that had joined him, at least Hoseok had been able to visit his family.
Their voices slowly faded into the background as the topic drifted onto their latest mission, swamped by the memories swirling in Jimin’s head. It had hurt so much. He felt sick just thinking about it, about his life before he met the gentle Air Nomad, about how he had ended up in the temple to begin with no matter how much joy it had brought him, about the searing pain that filled every inch of his body until it all went numb. He didn’t want to think about it but he couldn’t stop.
“I’ve gotta piss,” Jimin mumbled. No one but his husband paid him any attention as he rose to his feet and shuffled out of the living room.
The house was far from a mansion but it still held plenty of rooms for Jimin to slip into and curl up on the floor, including a small storage cupboard lined with tall shelves. There was Namjoon’s old glider propped up in a corner, now too small for the large airbender, and a rack of thick coats and parkas, two green, one blue and one red. One of the shelves consisted of old scrolls and books gathering dust, another held sleeping bags and another contained balls of yarn. There were stacks of old shoes on the floor, either close to wearing through or with holes in the bottom, along with large pots filled with clay.
There was a gentle knock on the door.
“Sweetie, are you in here?” It was Namjoon. He always knew when there was something wrong with his husband after so many years of marriage.
“Yeah…”
“Can I come in or do you wanna be alone right now?”
Jimin didn’t verbally respond, instead leaning over to open the door. It took Namjoon a moment to respond but he soon shuffled in and slid the door shut behind him, plunging the room into darkness. It was almost pitch black.
“Do you want a hug?”
“Don’t hug back, please,” Jimin muttered as he shifted closer to the Air Nomad. He didn’t think he could handle arms wrapped around his body, they would suffocate him however gentle they were. Namjoon did as he was asked, sitting down next to Jimin and leaning into his body as the nonbender hugged him close with small but strong arms. He was so warm in the cold of a dark cupboard.
“Do you wanna go back to our room? I’ll tuck you up and get out the book we’ve been reading,” Namjoon suggested. It felt like they had been in there forever but also only a few moments.
Jimin gave him the best smile he could manage.
“Please.”
__
As much as he adored Namjoon, Jimin still hated listening to his snoring on nights when he couldn’t sleep. The memories were too fresh in his mind to let him rest, instead leaving him lying in bed, staring up at the ceiling with his husband sleeping soundly by his side. At least the sunrise was always beautiful, the light trickling over the mountains that surrounded the city.
After pressing a gentle kiss to Namjoon’s forehead, Jimin slipped out of bed and tugged his jacket on, smoothing out the sleeves but not bothering to do it up. It covered enough of his skin to keep him comfortable as it was, especially in such low light.
He had expected the hallways to be entirely dark but there was still a soft glow from Taehyung’s room, the Avatar standing in the door in his pyjamas. Seokjin stood opposite him, caressing his cheek with gentle fingers. Neither of them noticed the new presence hiding in his doorway, so focused on each other.
“I will miss you so much, my dear,” Seokjin whispered.
Taehyung was clearly only half awake, his voice slurred and his eyes half closed as he spoke. “Just use the pond, Seokjinnie.”
What did that mean?
“I will. You must tell me everything you do though, yes?”
“Course,” Taehyung mumbled, leaning forward to press a brief kiss to Seokjin’s forehead.
“Now a proper one.”
“What if I say no?” He teased. Jimin couldn’t help but smile.
“I will cry,” Seokjin responded with a pout. It was hard to believe he was the Moon Spirit, Jimin supposed it just meant they were perfect for each other; neither of them felt like their duties.
Taehyung chuckled, slipping a hand down to Seokjin’s waist to pull him in for a long but chaste kiss. Jimin was about to slip out and go down the stairs to the living room when they finally pulled apart.
“Goodnight, my dearest. I love you.”
“Love you too.”
Within the blink of an eye, Seokjin was gone and Taehyung’s shoulders slumped. Jimin couldn’t imagine what he would be like being kept apart from his husband the same way Taehyung and Seokjin were kept apart, sometimes only seeing each other once or twice a month when the Avatar was his busiest. He had lived with Namjoon for nearly a decade at that point, only separating for a few months at a time when Namjoon had to travel to aid Taehyung. Even then he was peppered with near-daily letters, carted back and forth by Eclipse. He had to do something.
“Hey.”
“Jiminie? What are you doing awake this late? It’s nearly sunrise,” Taehyung mumbled, rubbing his eyes.
“Couldn’t sleep is all. You ok?” Jimin asked with a soft smile. He was used to not getting a lot of sleep.
Taehyung beckoned him over, waiting for Jimin to pull him into a hug before he snuggled into the nonbender’s arms. “Yeah. Just don’t like saying goodbye. Come cuddle me?”
“Sure.”
Jimin often ended up in Taehyung’s bed, though he rarely fell asleep along with the Avatar. He latched onto the nearest warm thing in his sleep and that was often Jimin; he couldn’t deal with waking up surrounded by the larger man. Instead, he would simply sit there as Taehyung cuddled a pillow close in place of Seokjin.
He smiled at the blanket on the bed. He had made it for Taehyung years ago, not long after he and Namjoon had joined the team, and it was well-loved. Jimin would have to make the couple a new one, a green one with moons and stars on it.
Taehyung snuggled up under the blankets alongside the smaller man. He was barely awake anymore.
“I couldn’t help but overhear you and Seokjin saying something about a pond, what’d you mean?” Jimin asked, pulling enough of his left hand free from his sleeve to slip his fingers through Taehyung's hair.
“I not tell you guys about the pond?” Taehyung mumbled, his head resting on Jimin’s thigh.
“Not at all.”
“Oh. Well, Seokjinnie has a pond in the Spirit World he can use to watch our world, says he watches our group conversations and stuff mostly so he knows what’s happening with the team but he normally just watches me and his family’s descendants.”
Jimin felt his blood run cold.
“He can just… watch us whenever he wants?”
“Yeah,” Taehyung nodded. “He doesn’t snoop though, promise.”
“Ok…” Jimin breathed out. “You get some sleep now.”
Taehyung couldn’t manage more than a nod and a sleepy hum before he dozed off. Jimin wished he could join him.
__
The house was empty. It would be all week, the rest of the team had left for a diplomatic trip to Ba Sing Se that morning because the anxiety of the trip simply wasn’t worth it to the nonbender. Thus Jimin had to search for things to do alone.
He could spend the week deep cleaning. All of them being so busy meant cleaning frequently fell to the wayside but six men all living under one roof led to things getting dirty fast, especially with the animals they also lived with. When had he last swept under the furniture? Jimin couldn’t remember. He needed supplies.
So he tugged on his jacket and sorted out his short brown hair as quickly as possible in the mirror. He would need to cut it again soon, it was getting too long, dipping in front of his golden eyes. He would do it before the rest of the team got back, that way he wouldn’t worry them so much.
With a final deep breath, he stepped out of the house and onto the street. It was a quieter area of the city, hidden away from the mains gates behind the tall hills, needing to be near the walls so they could have somewhere large enough for Moni to live. He loved his barn just at the end of the street, perfectly heated by Hoseok in the winter and cooled down by Yoongi in the summer, though he adored nothing more than being in the air. Both Jimin and Namjoon kept a whistle on them at all times to be able to call him back as he often strayed into the mountains around Omashu, flying around the peaks with happy hums and grunts.
Thankfully Moni didn’t scare off any of the stray animals though. Flocks of turkey ducks still wandered around the streets, squawking at him as he walked past and pecking at his fingers when he offered them handfuls of vegetable scraps. There were also still little meadow voles and elephant rats that would scurry around, often running up to the nonbender that almost always had a snack for them.
That day was no different, a meadow vole ran up to him, squeaking at him with all its might. Jimin chuckled as he crouched down, reaching into his pocket to pull out a small embroidered pouch filled with pumpkin seeds and offer one to the small rodent. The pouch was a gift from Namjoon for their third anniversary. He had no doubt bought it as a coin pouch but he knew his husband better than that as he had clearly spent an age carefully embroidering a lop-eared bunny into the fabric along with the word ‘treats’ and small hearts. What had Jimin ever done to deserve someone so wonderful loving him?
The meadow vole pulled on his fingers, the pumpkin seed only half eaten in its free hand.
“Do you wanna come with me?” Jimin laughed fondly.
It squeaked.
He smiled as he scooped up the small animal and placed it on his shoulder. “We’ve gotta do some shopping, yeah? Got cleaning supplies to get. And food while I think about it, I need more flour and sugar. Gonna make Joonie egg custard tarts for when he gets home, they’re his favourite.”
Familiar faces surrounded Jimin at the market, all greeting him and his new furry friend with a smile. It was inevitable that he was well-known around the city; he was a friend of the Avatar himself after all, but he enjoyed feeling like they truly liked him. It reminded him of all the places he had once called home. The Air Temple, the mansion, the small apartment, all filled with fond smiles directed at him.
There were scowls as well, there always were, especially when it was well-known that he was married to Namjoon. He had learnt that only the Air Temples were so incredibly accepting of same-sex couples, letting them love freely and openly, imparting their benders not with a sense of pride in their differences, but a neutral acceptance that it was part of life. The sky is blue, the grass is green and some men have husbands. Beautiful, strong husbands who carried themselves with dignity and kindness no matter what the universe threw at them. Jimin was endlessly proud of him.
“Jimin! We saw that bison take off this morning with people on it, are they going on a mission?” Kyoshong called out to him. She was an older woman who ran one of the market stalls, often lumping in Jimin with her adult children and giving him an extra vegetable or two for free.
“Yep,” Jimin confirmed with a nod as he started grabbing what he needed. “It’s nothing too exciting though. Just some meetings in Ba Sing Se.”
“Aren’t you from Ba Sing Se? Why didn’t you go along and visit your family there?” She asked.
Jimin crushed the cabbage in his hand.
“Shit, sorry, I can pay for that if you need me to,” he replied the moment he came back to reality, staring at the wilting vegetable in his grip.
“It’s ok, don’t worry,” Kyoshong hummed with a soft smile. He needed to get better at controlling his emotions.
“Please, I’ll buy it from you. I’ve found some more long-eared rabbits with no owners and I’m sure they’ll love this no matter how squished it is,” Jimin insisted, tucking the cabbage under his arm to pull out his coin pouch, being careful of the little creature on his shoulder the whole time.
“Only if you take something else for yourself,” she said firmly.
Jimin knew he couldn’t win so he grabbed a pear and pocketed it. “I’ll have it for a snack with some tea later.”
“Good, gotta make sure you keep some meat on your bones.”
“I do, I promise,” Jimin laughed. It was impossible not to when Hoseok and Yoongi regularly cooked feasts between the two of them, mixing the blazing heat of the Fire Nation and the gentle warmth of the Northern Water Tribe perfectly with every meal.
“Good, you take care now, yeah?”
“I will!”
__
It took several hours for Jimin to finally get back home with everything he needed in tow. He kicked off his shoes, dropped everything, peeled off his jacket and flopped onto the living room floor. He was always mentally drained when he got back home. There was just something about being around anyone other than his husband that exhausted him so much, though he wasn’t fully sure what.
He just laid there in silence for a while, the wooden floors cool against parts of his bare arms, until he dragged himself back to his feet to start on the chores. He needed to sweep and mop all the floors, dust all the shelves, wash his jacket, maybe even properly clean out Moni’s barn in the following days. With a deep breath, he got started, grabbing a bucket, the mop and a duster from a cupboard to start cleaning.
Chores were always boring alone so he often resorted to either singing every song he could think of or just talking out loud to himself, holding entire conversations with just himself as he spoke about anything and everything. His childhood, his friendships, his travels, Namjoon, it didn’t matter what really, though that day he settled on complaining.
“I mean, who does she think she is? She’s normally so sweet and kind but today she got up all in my shit,” Jimin huffed as he slapped the mop on the ground. “Who asks why you’re not visiting home? In what world is that not an insanely personal question? Who does she think she is?”
He kept grumbling to himself as he worked, eventually dusting every surface and mopping every floor in the house. He pulled his jacket back on before stepping back out onto the street to empty the water bucket, looking up at the setting sun. The moon was just about visible in and amongst the clouds, a waning crescent.
“Shit.”
Had Seokjin been watching Jimin that whole time? Had he heard him complaining? Seen his scars? Jimin felt ill.
He rushed back into the house, looking around the walls like he could see the spirit.
“Hi Seokjin… can you hear me?”
There was no response. How could there be?
“Taehyungie wasn’t really exact with how the pond thingy worked but um… please just… pretend you didn’t see anything today. I forgot you could see me possibly, maybe, I don’t know.”
Jimin couldn’t stop talking.
“Are you sorta stuck to this house? Cus they’re in Ba Sing Se for the week so I guess you’re sorta just stuck with me for now. And I’m telling you to not watch, sorry, must be boring as shit.”
Why couldn’t he just shut up?
“At least it’s only a week. Wait what did you do for the two months while it was just me and Yoongi? Did you even know they were in the Fire Nation? Can Tae go see you in the Spirit World? Oh shit, is he there? Can he see through the pond too?”
Nervous chatter was an awful habit of his.
“Taehyung! You need to explain the pond thing better, I don’t know what’s going on! I mean, I know you were super tired but this is just…”
He finally ran out of words, falling silent.
What was even going on?
__
Jimin awoke to a tapping on the window, an incessant pecking on the wooden shutters. He groaned as he pulled himself out of bed and tugged his jacket on before opening the shutters to be greeted by Eclipse.
“Hi, little lady,” he mumbled sleepily. He stroked the top of her head a few times before opening up the pouch on her back and pulling out the letter to read. “They should be back by tonight, huh? Guess I gotta start making those egg tarts then.”
Eclipse stared up at him.
“Oh right, how could I forget? Follow me,” Jimin said as he shuffled downstairs to the kitchen, Eclipse flying after him. He searched around the cupboards before pulling out some salmon jerky that Yoongi had bought, offering a few strips to the bird. “I know it’s not your favourite but it’s all the meat we have in the house right now.”
She was far from pleased but she ate them regardless.
“You can go rest now, don’t need to send a reply,” Jimin hummed, gently taking her harness off.
Eclipse took a moment to ruffle her feathers before wandering over to her cage. Jimin had insisted they leave the door open unless necessary, she was a well-trained bird and deserved to be treated as such.
Once she was comfortable, Jimin headed back upstairs to his and Namjoon’s room to get dressed for the day. He wasn’t going anywhere and he would surely get messy while baking and thus slipped on an old loose long-sleeved tunic and a pair of tatty trousers, not bothering to fix his hair. He hadn’t managed to bring himself to cut it.
When he got downstairs again, he froze at the new figure in the living room.
“Hello, Jimin.”
Seokjin had a sweet smile on his face and a mug in his hands. He also wasn’t in his parka like he often was, instead wearing dark blue trousers and an embroidered purple shirt, his boots left by the front door along with the large furry coat.
“Hi…” He didn’t want to be the one to bring up his frantic ramblings from the previous days.
“How are you feeling this afternoon?”
“Ok I guess, you?” Jimin mumbled, pulling down his sleeves out of habit more than anything. They weren’t long enough to cover his hands like his jacket.
“I am well. I am excited to see Taehyung again, he has been too tired this past week to see me at all in the Spirit World and I have missed him,” Seokjin said. He looked so peaceful, entirely at ease. “I have enjoyed you talking to me though.”
“You saw me?” Jimin asked, his cheeks going pink. Namjoon always said he looked adorable when he blushed, especially when he had gone out in the sun and his freckles had darkened.
“Yes. Though I agree Taehyung may not have explained the pond well as I am not tied to one location, I may go where I please on a new moon and see where I please in the pond,” Seokjin explained, taking a sip of his tea. “You seem to like animals quite a bit though.”
“Yeah, I like them a lot, I er… used to work with them when I was younger. My mother told me I was always carrying around some random animal I’d picked up when I was little and I guess I just never stopped,” Jimin laughed weakly. She had loved him for it though, letting him hand out their scraps to every creature he could.
“She must have been a kind mother to allow you to keep picking up strays,” Seokjin hummed as he set down his mug with a gentle click. It was Taehyung’s mug, painted green with each of the elements moulded onto the surface, each of them had one made by Jungkook. Jimin guessed he hadn’t gotten around to making Seokjin his own yet.
Jimin gulped and then nodded. “Yeah, I guess she was.”
Seokjin gave him a soft look before looking into his tea. “My parents were far from kind to me though I find I still mourn for them, my mother especially.”
“Your parents are…”
“Dead? Of course,” Seokjin chuckled dryly. “I am centuries old, Jimin, they have long since passed.”
“Oh, sorry for your loss,” Jimin muttered, fiddling with his sleeves.
“It was inevitable. They lived long lives,” Seokjin said before standing up. “Now, I believe you were going to bake now, no?”
“I… yeah, egg custard tarts for Joonie, he loves them.”
“May I join?” Seokjin asked. “I am no good at baking but I would like to learn. I wish to make seaweed cookies one day.”
“Yeah, sure I guess,” Jimin agreed with a small nod before shuffling over to the kitchen.
Making the tarts was like muscle memory for him now, having learnt how to make them years ago back when he and Namjoon were only friends to impress the airbender. It wasn’t long before he was baking a huge batch once a month to hand out to all the other monks. Seokjin being there complicated things a bit but he could manage, he could do it. Just make the pastry, cut it into neat circles, place them in the tins, mix up the filling, fill up the pastry and bake in the oven until the egg custard is set.
He breathed out as his muscles relaxed into the familiar rhythm, even with Seokjin watching him silently. That was until he started on the custard, cracking eggs with his left hand and whisking them with his right.
“You can crack eggs with only one hand?” Seokjin asked, his eyes lingering on Jimin’s hand for a moment before looking into the bowl again.
“Yeah,” Jimin said with a weak smile. He had learnt how to do it as a child after he had watched his mother do it and insisted she teach him, it only became so useful years later.
“That is quite impressive. Are you even left-handed?”
Jimin froze, swallowing the lump in his throat before just shrugging. “I guess so, yeah.”
Seokjin gave him another kind smile as they fell back into silence, the Moon Spirit observing him the whole time until the tarts were baking and the pair sat at the low table.
“So, what's the Spirit World like?”
Jimin had always been curious about it since his mother held him close and whispered stories of the spirits to him until he fell asleep in her arms, but it had been tucked away as his life moved on. That was until Namjoon first entered the Spirit World and all the questions of his childhood came flooding back. Of course his husband did the best he could to answer but he had only been there a few times, he couldn’t say much more than what most people already knew.
Then there was Taehyung, constantly entering the Spirit World to visit Seokjin, however he spoke very little of the place itself. Jimin believed it was because Taehyung did nothing but spend time with his partner in one corner of the Spirit World rather than explore it. Seokjin though, he would surely know the answers to his questions.
“Beautiful yet terrifying, much like Taehyung I suppose.”
“Of course you compare it to your boyfriend,” Jimin snorted. He knew he and Namjoon were just as insufferable when they first got married, telling anyone who would listen that they were husbands.
“My point remains,” Seokjin hummed, his face remaining calm even as his cheeks tinted pink. “It is vibrant and filled with endless wonder, there are so many bright plants and adorable creatures, yet you must not let your guard down. It is also filled with many horrors if you stray into the wrong parts.”
“Like what?”
“The Fog of Lost Souls I believe it is called.”
Jimin felt his blood run cold at the name alone.
“It is a prison for humans who have grievously wronged spirits, I had stumbled across the outskirts and it must drive its prisoners mad from the sounds I heard from within. I would never want to get stuck in such a place,” Seokjin explained, his eyebrows furrowed. “I have found far more good than bad though.”
“What’ve you found then?” Jimin asked, pulling his sleeves down further. He didn’t want to think about a place like that anymore.
Seokjin’s face seemed to light up. “So many places. There are wonderful meadows and forests and a library with all the knowledge you could hope for. Though my personal favourite is my home.”
“Your home?”
“Yes. Taehyung has named it ‘The Moon Spirit Forest’ apparently, though I do not know why he would feel the need to do such a thing. There is no such thing as Spirit World tourists who need help in finding where they wish to go,” Seokjin chuckled.
“Future Avatars I guess, they might wanna talk to you about stuff,” Jimin replied with a shrug.
“Perhaps,” Seokjin said, glancing over at Jimin’s hands for a moment before closing his eyes. “You know, you must have a rather strong connection with the spirits after living in the Southern Air Temple for so long.”
Jimin frowned. He supposed he was more spiritual than most, he meditated with Namjoon a lot, but he wouldn’t think he had a strong connection with the spirits.
“You could probably travel to the Spirit World if you wished to.”
“Why would I do that?” Jimin asked, his frown deepening.
Seokjin seemed as serene as ever. “It is in case you ever wish to visit me in my home. I believe no one should have to suffer in silence and I am awfully good at keeping secrets. You could tell me anything.”
“What do you-” Jimin was cut off by the front door bursting open, the whole team soon filling in.
Taehyung rushed to jump into Seokjin’s arms, peppering him with kisses while Jungkook trailed off upstairs alone and Hoseok and Yoongi found their way to the kitchen. Namjoon shuffled in last, his glider in hand and a satchel thrown over his shoulder. He was beautiful but Jimin had bigger issues.
“I gotta get changed,” Jimin muttered before rushing upstairs to his bedroom, slamming the door shut behind him. His body untensed now he was behind closed doors, away from the eyes of his teammates. He should have paid more attention to the time.
He slipped his messy clothes off and replaced them with his normal attire, a knock coming at the door as he pulled his jacket on.
“Come in.”
“Hey sweetie.”
Jimin turned around with a smile, now able to fully focus on his husband in the doorway. “How was the trip?”
“Alright,” Namjoon said. He leant his glider up against the wall and dropped his satchel on the floor before coming over to Jimin to cup his cheek and press a quick kiss to his lips. “I missed you though, Moni did as well.”
“I missed you both too,” Jimin chuckled as he wrapped his arms around Namjoon’s waist, silently inviting him into a hug.
Namjoon was quick to respond, slipping his arms around his husband’s neck loosely. “What’d you get up to?”
“Did a bunch of cleaning mostly, it’s so much easier when it’s just me here. I made tarts as well though.”
Jimin laughed at how Namjoon’s face lit up. “Really? Spirits, I love you so much.”
“I love you too, Honey,” Jimin hummed, giving him a quick peck on the cheek before pulling away. “Let’s go get you a tart, mhm?”
“Please.”
Namjoon took ahold of Jimin’s left hand, squeezing it as they trailed back downstairs to join the rest of the team in the living room. Someone had already cracked open a bottle of wine and they were all drinking and laughing. Taehyung was almost entirely in Seokjin’s lap and Hoseok and Yoongi pressed close together, Jungkook sat next to his best friend, a glass of wine held in both of his hands.
“I mean, training Tae wasn’t exactly a very chill experience for any of us,” Jungkook said before taking a long sip of his wine.
“Yeah, for me especially, you guys are all insane,” Taehyung huffed.
“To be fair, so are you,” Jungkook snorted. “Do you not remember all the shit we got up to while I was teaching you earthbending?”
“Yeah no, I’m wiping that year from my memory on purpose,” Taehyung replied simply, closing his eyes.
“I hope you know I’m never letting you forget what happened when I was teaching you,” Hoseok joined in. His face was a mixture of exhaustion and annoyance.
“What did he do?” Seokjin asked with a raised eyebrow.
“He nearly burnt my fucking topknot off,” Hoseok hissed as he pointed to his carefully maintained hair.
Jimin froze. Hoseok wouldn’t let any of the team but Jungkook touch his almost waist-length hair, and even then it was only on the rare occasion that he would let the earthbender braid it. The thought that Taehyung had almost burnt it off made Jimin feel ill, his grip on his wineglass so tight the stem threatened to crack. Namjoon had to rest a hand on his to relax him.
“Why are you so upset about it though? It’s just hair, it’ll grow back,” Yoongi asked.
Hoseok looked over at him with a shocked frown, his eyes wide. “Do you really not know the significance of hair in the Fire Nation?”
Yoongi just silently shrugged in response.
“Well, it’s a lot fucking more than just hair. Your hair is tied to your honour, so if you cut it off, especially your topknot, you’d be dishonoured,” Hoseok explained, reaching up to smooth out his hair. “You only really get it cut if you’re getting disowned or if you’re a criminal. I think my parents would pretend I was dead if I cut my hair short.”
Jimin downed the rest of his wine. He could feel Seokjin’s eyes on him.
“Oh, big deal then,” Yoongi replied. “No wonder you’re so protective over it. I just thought you liked it being pretty and didn’t want it getting messed up.”
“I- well I do but it’s more important than that.”
Yoongi went to reply but Seokjin spoke first, a gentle smile on his lips. “I believe the tarts should be cool enough to eat now. I am curious to try them since Jimin told me Namjoon loves them.”
“Oh yeah, they’re amazing,” Taehyung agreed with a quick nod. “We all used to beg Namjoonie to share with us.”
Jimin smiled. “Thanks, it’s just all the practice from making them so many times.”
“You can do the same thing as many times as you want but sometimes you stay shit,” Namjoon mumbled, resting his head on Jimin’s shoulder.
“Like your alcohol tolerance? You’ve only had one glass,” Jimin teased as he slipped an arm around his husband.
His cheeks were flushed pink and his eyes were hooded, clearly heavily affected by the wine, it was to be expected of a monk who rarely drank though. He reasoned he didn’t want to risk getting dependent on it, limiting his earthly attachments to just his bison, his husband and his books. Jimin found it adorable though, the way Namjoon would just snuggle up to him, though never cuddle him, and mumble crudely worded philosophy.
“You should take him to bed or he will fall asleep here,” Seokjin hummed softly, scanning over the couple. Namjoon seemed far larger than his husband, not exactly muscular like Jungkook but still broad, while Jimin’s large jacket swallowed him up, drowning out his figure. “I doubt any of us but Jungkook can lift him.”
“Don’t worry, I got it. Come on, honey,” Jimin chuckled, helping pull his husband to his feet. “Lean on me while we go upstairs, yeah?”
“But the tarts…” Namjoon muttered.
“I’ll come back and get us some when you’re in bed.”
The Air Nomad was pleased with that and so he nodded, putting his weight on the smaller man as they waddled up the stairs and back into their bedroom. Jimin was used to doing it every single time Namjoon drank and thus it was easy for him to guide his husband to sit on the bed, gently undress him, pull some pyjamas onto him and then get him tucked in.
After pressing a soft kiss to his husband’s nose, Jimin could slip out of the room again. He leaned against the wall for a moment, breathing out with his eyes shut, trying to calm his racing mind and his churning stomach. Why did he have to be so easily affected by everything? Jimin soon pushed off the wall and headed downstairs again.
Everyone else was still drinking and chatting, though they were trying to be quieter, trying to stifle their laughter. Jimin flashed Hoseok a weak smile when their eyes met before grabbing two of the egg custard tarts and heading back to his and Namjoon’s room. Only when he slipped into the room, his husband was already asleep, entirely relaxed. He couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight.
“Sleep well, honey,” Jimin whispered as he set the tarts down on the bedside table.
He took his time getting changed into his own sleepwear and then climbed into bed with Namjoon. He ran his hand over the sleeping man’s chest, feeling his body heat. Their bed was never cold in the winter, Jimin ran hot and Namjoon could continue airbending even in his sleep by that point, continually keeping his body temperature correct without a single thought. It never failed to impress Jimin just how skilled his husband had become.
When they had met Namjoon had been struggling. While he had apparently been open about it to the older monks and seeking advice, nothing they suggested seemed to help him overcome whatever block he was experiencing. But then, according to his vows, a certain nonbender wiggled his way into his life and his heart and changed everything by just being there.
Jimin always felt giddy looking back on their wedding. It had been far from a grand event, just a small ceremony blessed by one of the older monks and a few giant egg custard tarts cut up into slices to share with the rest of the temple. It was nothing like either of their parent’s weddings yet he wouldn’t have had it any other way, especially when Namjoon had looked so happy, looked so proud of his new husband. Everything was perfect for them and that was all that mattered.
Everything had been perfect.
He sighed as he shifted closer to his snoring husband, feeling his chest rising and falling with his slow breathing. How could he be so relaxed? It seemed even something as stressful as being a close friend and advisor of the Avatar couldn’t throw him off anymore. Jimin was jealous even if he knew he shouldn’t be, not of his partner, his closest friend, his lover, his saviour as well really. He didn’t want to think about what would have happened if Namjoon hadn’t stumbled across him.
There were footsteps on the other side of the bedroom door but they soon faded, presumably the rest of the team heading to bed.
Jimin pulled himself up out of bed and tugged on his jacket again before trailing back downstairs. The bottle of wine was empty but it was easy to find another one, one to have by himself by the flicker of a single oil lamp. The flame danced in its holder as he pulled the cork out and sipped straight from the bottle, not bothering to pour it into a glass. He smiled sadly.
He was over halfway through the bottle when a voice appeared from behind him.
“You do not seem to sleep much.”
“You get used to it,” Jimin muttered, glancing over his shoulder to look up at the Moon Spirit.
“I suppose so,” Seokjin hummed. He looked Jimin up and down and then smiled. “I just wish to tell you my offer remains in case you change your mind.”
Jimin just nodded while taking another sip. He didn’t feel the need to hide in front of Seokjin, who knows what he had already seen so why bother concealing the more harmless parts?
“The sun will rise soon so I must leave but I…” Seokjin trailed off, biting his lip. “Please ensure you get yourself into bed without getting injured. It will hurt your back to sleep on the floor.”
“Yeah, see you next month, I guess,” Jimin mumbled. His speech was just starting to slur.
“See you soon, Jimin,” Seokjin replied with the same soft smile as always before disappearing into thin air as he always did.
Jimin looked down into the bottle, swirling the liquid around.
“Fuck.”
__
“How hungover are you?”
Jimin had barely opened his eyes when his husband started talking, his voice still thick with sleep but distant. He managed to pull himself to sit up, his head aching, looking over at Namjoon where he was sitting on the floor meditating in his pyjamas.
“Not gonna throw up.”
“That’s good,” Namjoon muttered. He never seemed to get hungover despite how affected he was by alcohol.
“I was curious about something,” Jimin said when his mind finally started to wake up. “What’s it like? Going to the Spirit World I mean.”
“Difficult,” Namjoon began. “It’s terrifying as well cus you don’t know what's out there but it’s also just… there are no words to describe how beautiful it is. I feel so at peace there amongst the spirits. Plus some of them are pretty adorable. Why’d you ask?”
“Seokjin was talking about it yesterday and with Taehyungie going all the time, guess it was just on my mind,” Jimin said. He hated how easy it was to lie, even to his own husband. “Mind if I join you?”
He could hear the smile in Namjoon’s voice when he replied. “You’re always welcome to meditate with me, sweetie.”
Jimin climbed out of bed, holding his head until the pain subsided. He pressed a gentle kiss to the top of the other man’s head before sitting down next to him, getting into the meditation position easily. How many times had they meditated together over the years? It was becoming a lot less frequent with Namjoon being away so much with Taehyung, Jimin had to make an effort to do it more often.
Meditation was hard for him to start with, he couldn’t clear his mind, instead falling victim to the thoughts that swirled around constantly. However, over time, he relaxed into it, feeling the glow of his soul in his chest and the warmth of the body next to him. It couldn’t solve any of his problems but at least he could forget about them for a short while with his husband by his side.
He cracked one of his eyes open just enough to glance over at Namjoon, a wide smile spreading over his lips when he realised the airbender was doing the same thing.
“Honey.”
“Sweetie.”
They both broke out into laughter, leaning against each other, their hands soon finding each other. As they sat there laughing far too hard over something so simple, Jimin couldn’t help but think that he was happier than he ever deserved to be.
__
Crocheting held a similar role to meditation in Jimin’s life, a mindless activity to partake in with someone else by his side. It was peaceful to just sit by Yoongi in silence, the nonbender crocheting like the waterbender knitted, it was the only time he used a water arm to replace the one he had lost. He had left almost half an hour ago though, disappearing upstairs to his bedroom while muttering about sending his niece a new set of socks for her birthday. Now it was just Jimin and the repetitive movements of the hooked needle as he worked on another blanket.
They each had their own blanket now, each crafted with love and care, personalised to match the mugs Jungkook had made with his claybending. However, Jimin made far more than the earthbender, he was sure all of his crocheting would’ve overwhelmed the house if he didn’t give them away to anyone who would take it. At least the children loved his little stuffed animals.
His attention was dragged away from his craft as Taehyung stumbled down the stairs and flopped down next to him with a heavy sigh. Jimin was used to the Avatar being pouty when he was tired, wanting nothing but endless affection until he fell asleep, but Taehyung’s face was blank, entirely exhausted. He must have only just returned from the Spirit World. He had told the rest of the team he was going to see Seokjin at lunch and now the sun was setting.
“You want tea, buddy?”
Taehyung just nodded in response.
Jimin pushed his blanket out of the way and then headed to the kitchen, picking out the Avatar’s mug along with his own. Jungkook had painted it green and carved the Earth Kingdom symbol into it along with flower patterns that reminded Jimin of the kind his father used to wear. He smiled.
By the time Jimin turned back around to set their mugs of steaming tea on the low table, Taehyung looked far better, no longer looking like he could pass out at any moment. He smiled as he picked up the mug and took a sip, melting a little further. Jimin was far from being amazing at making tea, especially compared to Taehyung himself, but he was glad he had picked up enough to help the Avatar relax.
“Thanks, Jimin,” Taehyung mumbled sleepily.
“How’s Seokjin?” Jimin could feel the lump in his throat as he spoke, he wondered if Seokjin had told him about what happened.
“Oh, Seokjin,” Taehyung said, blinking a few times in surprise. “He’s good. I just… I wish I could stay longer but he was worried that I would be too sore and tired after meditating for so long but now I’m just achy and sad.”
“What do you two even do in the Spirit World?” Jimin asked. He had always been curious about it but the topic never seemed to come up in conversation.
“There’s so much to do and see in the Spirit World, today we went to Xai Bau’s Grove and it was so beautiful, I’ve never seen trees so big,” Taehyung chuckled, pausing to take a sip of his tea. “Most of the time we just hang around Seokjin’s home though.”
“The Moon Spirit Forest.”
“Seokjin told you?” Taehyung asked as he glanced over at the other man.
“Yeah, he told me he thinks the name is useless cus there're no tourists,” Jimin replied with a small smile.
“That’s true, it’s not exactly the easiest place to even get to, let alone explore.”
“It’s not?”
“Um.” Taehyung scratched the back of his head with his free hand. “Well, it’s absolutely massive for one. Space and time sorta works differently there as well so it’s really easy to get lost. Whenever we go outside the forest, I try to stay close to Seokjin as much as possible, it’s dangerous even for me. It’s getting easier to find my way around though, I’m sorta figuring it out.”
“How do you find Seokjin then?” Jimin asked, a confused frown on his lips.
“That's different.”
“How?”
“What’s gotten you so curious?” Taehyung questioned with a raised eyebrow, however there was still a tired smile on his face.
“I mean we see you meditate for hours at a time to see your boyfriend but we don’t know what you’re actually doing, you know? I’m just interested in your life,” Jimin lied.
Despite turning Seokjin down, his offer had been rattling around the nonbender’s head in the following weeks. He wouldn’t go to the Spirit World, he doubted he could even if he wanted to, but he couldn’t help but be curious. How would he do it if he ever tried?
“Well, I just think of Seokjin while I’m meditating.”
“Spirits, you're so sappy.” Jimin laughed softly.
“I’m serious!” Taehyung said, his cheeks tinted pink. “I just think of him and the forest and then I appear in the Spirit World and I’m in the forest with him.” His smile seemed to fade with that, staring down into his mug.
“You miss him already?”
“Yeah, is that bad?”
Jimin reached out to rest a hand on Taehyung’s, the Avatar gently intertwining their fingers. “Of course not. You don’t get to see him that much compared to most couples, it’s understandable you’re gonna miss him. I miss Joonie even when he’s only been gone a day or so and we’ve lived together for years.”
“Thanks, Jiminie,” Taehyung mumbled, shifting closer to the other man.
“You’re welcome, buddy,” Jimin hummed. “Now, let’s get you to bed and then fed. Do you need me to carry you up again?”
Taehyung’s face went bright red. “That was one time!”
Jimin only laughed as the Avatar hurried back upstairs as fast as his stiff legs could take him.
__
The metal was cold against his skin. Each time it grazed his head or the back of his neck he shuddered, every snip made his stomach turn. He stared ahead at the mirror, at the sparkling golden eyes that stared back, at the hair on the counter. It was a complete mess.
He gritted his teeth and grabbed another chunk of hair and cut it, dropping the brown hairs in front of him. Then he grabbed another and another and another and cut until his chest was heaving and little flecks of brown covered his face. He slapped the scissors down on the counter next to the pile of his hair. His hands couldn’t stop shaking as he tried to sweep it all up into the bin, to clean up after himself. He couldn’t do it.
Instead, he sank to the ground, curling up into a tight ball when an idea popped into his head. He knew where to go, who to go to, all he had to do was clear his mind and then think of him, think of Seokjin. Only his head was filled with a mess of hands, hands he had to press through, he had to run from them until he stumbled over his own feet. His face should have been covered in dust and gravel but it was wet with mud.
Slowly, Jimin pushed himself back to his feet and looked around him. It was a forest, filled with glowing plants, lighting up the area purple and blue, and gentle splashes of water. Everything was so calm, it must have been the right place, though there were no buildings in sight, just endless trees and plants.
“Who is there!?” A voice boomed out from behind him.
He whipped around but he saw nothing but a flash of white between the trees. Any sort of response was stuck in his throat, his entire body paralysed.
“Show yourself!” The voice continued, growing angrier.
It kicked Jimin into action. He staggered away, running as fast as his body would allow. What would happen if he died in the Spirit World?
Sparkling white surrounded him from behind, holding him in place, trapping him in its arms and he couldn’t move his arms no matter how hard he pulled. He couldn’t breathe, his throat constricted as he kicked back against the being behind him, trying to pry himself free but it only held tighter and tighter. He would never escape.
With a gasp, Jimin threw himself forward and bit down on one of the arms that wrapped around him, pressing down harder and harder until his jaw and teeth ached yet it remained strong. How could its grip on him get even tighter? He couldn’t feel anything anymore.
A gentle voice was whispering in his ear, a familiar voice.
“Pumpkin seeds as treats and you make Namjoon egg custard tarts because they are his favourite, spirits, you make blankets for everyone in the team, you can crack eggs with only one hand.”
Jimin’s eyes widened as he looked over his shoulder.
“Seokjin?...”
“Jimin, yes, it is me, Seokjin. You are in my forest, you are safe. Please do not run away, I cannot control what happens outside the forest,” Seokjin replied instantly. It was his face but he looked so different in long white robes and sparkling white hair, so much more like the spirit Jimin knew he was but never acted like.
Jimin nodded and the arms surrounding him loosened, slowly lowering him to the ground.
“Would you like a hug?” Seokjin asked in such a gentle voice.
“No!” Jimin said far too loudly. He couldn't manage any other words.
Seokjin smiled, sitting down on the grass next to him just out of arm's reach. “I will sit here then.”
Only the gentle splash of water filled the forest for a while, slowly easing his mind until he could move to lie down, the grass tickling his cheeks and bare torso. He hadn’t put on a shirt after cutting his hair, his mind too fevered to pause for even a moment. He couldn’t feel their gentle pokes everywhere though, only Seokjin’s eyes keeping a close watch over him, waiting for him to run again. Jimin doubted he had it in him to move anytime soon.
“May I ask why you are here?”
Jimin dragged his eyes over to look at the other man. “Only if I can ask why you look so fucking different here.”
“I am unsure of that myself,” Seokjin chuckled weakly. “I have no control over how I appear. The appearance you are used to is much closer to how I looked in my human life, this is more…”
“Spirity?” Jimin suggested
“Yes, that is a way of putting it I suppose,” Seokjin said with a smile. That was more like the man that Jimin knew.
The silence stretched out once more. Seokjin was clearly waiting for an answer, though not pushing for one, but it was almost impossible to not fill in the quiet.
“I was upset and you said… you said I could come talk to you, right?” Jimin eventually spoke up when he found the words in his tangled mind.
“Of course, I was just not expecting you,” Seokjin replied, looking up at the dark sky. There wasn’t a moon, only twinkling lights. “I can tell when someone or something enters my home and I was rather worried someone had appeared with malicious intent. I am so sorry for scaring you, I would never have reacted that way had I known it was you because you are always welcome here, ok?”
“Ok…”
“There is no need for you to do anything here, you may just come and relax if that is what will ease your mind,” Seokjin hummed. Jimin relaxed at that but then the spirit continued, looking down at the human beside him. “However, I want you to talk to me about your troubles. I have found that hiding all of your pain only makes it hurt more as it burns you-”
Jimin flinched.
“My apologies, I will reword that,” Seokjin said quickly. Jimin didn’t know if he would have preferred to not be so closely watched or to have images lurking in his mind.
“Suffering alone will surely consume you one day, Jimin. No matter how far you wish to run from your problems, they always find a way to catch up to you and all you can do is hope you are ready when they arrive. I believe the best way to prepare is to have the support of those who care for you but it is challenging to say the least to confess your darkest secrets to those closest to you. You may fear that you will lose them.”
Jimin felt like Seokjin could look into his mind, into his spirit at that moment. It was like he could see everything that lingered below scarred skin.
“How’d you know all that?...”
“From both my humanity and spirituality,” Seokjin hummed, as calm as ever like it would help the nonbender understand him anymore. “I was afraid if Taehyung learnt I was the Moon Spirit, he would surely want nothing to do with me when I was painted as a usurper so I hid and I hid until it hurt too much. I am blessed that I fell for a man who loves me for every aspect of me, not in spite of them.”
“And spiritually?” Jimin muttered.
Seokjin pulled his fan out and opened it, holding it over his own chest. He often had it lying around or in his hand, though he never opened it, revealing the beautiful swirling waves on it. Jimin was in awe of it.
“I worked hard as a mortal to have such a strong connection to the spirits, it allows me to feel certain things, sense them if you will.” The Moon Spirit closed his fan again with a snap and reached out to gently rest the tip against Jimin’s chest, right where his heart was. “I can feel the pain your spirit exudes, it is weeping even as you smile.”
“What?... How can you just feel all that?” Jimin asked. He felt like he was being choked.
“Spirits just know some things, Jimin.”
“But I…” He couldn’t find any more words as Seokjin pulled his fan away with a smile.
“You have some things to think about so you should get home, you need rest,” Seokjin said, rising to his feet once more. “I must warn you though, never enter the Spirit World when you are so distressed again, your negative thoughts will shape the world around you and I dread to think what will happen to you if I am not here to protect you.”
Jimin slowly pulled himself back up to his feet as well before nodding. “Yeah, ok, sorry.”
“Do not apologise to me, please just remember it for next time for your own safety,” Seokjin replied.
“I will. I-” Jimin paused. “I don’t wanna die no matter how miserable you think I am.”
Seokjin smiled. “And I would never wish that upon anyone. Goodbye for now, Jimin, I will see you again soon.”
Jimin couldn’t get out another word before he was thrown back to a dark bathroom. There was a frantic knocking at the door.
“Please, can you just knock back if you’re conscious? I’m gonna have to come in if you don’t.”
“Honey?” Jimin’s throat ached, his voice coming out so weakly.
“Shit, are you ok, sweetie?” Namjoon’s voice came through the door, so clearly filled with anxiety. “Can I come in?”
Jimin slid the door open just a crack, inviting his husband inside. He was still dressed to go outside, no doubt having just gotten back from the meeting Taehyung had dragged him and Jungkook to. Jimin couldn’t bring himself to feel guilty for worrying Namjoon after a stressful day, only feeling relief at the sight of his face.
“Are you hurt at all?”
“No, I’m ok, I promise,” Jimin whispered, reaching out to cup Namjoon’s face. His husband always said it made his hands look so dainty, even though they were scarred and calloused. “I just need to wash all this loose hair off me and go to bed.”
“Do you want me to get a bath ready for you?” Namjoon asked as he melted into his touch.
“Only if you stay with me,” Jimin muttered. He couldn’t be alone with his thoughts, not at that moment, he needed his husband.
Namjoon smiled. “I would be honoured.”
__
It was rare for everyone to be at home for an extended period, there was almost always yet another trip abroad to plan, another crisis to attend to, and so was the life of the Avatar Jimin supposed. However, when they finally were all crowded into their townhouse for multiple weeks in a row, it got incredibly cramped incredibly fast. Jimin much preferred the comfort of home over being outside in the city, but he found himself spending more and more time outside, meandering around the streets just to avoid everyone else inside.
At least it was a nice day, not too warm to make him sweat under his jacket but not too cold to make him shiver constantly. He smiled as he looked up and saw Moni flying above the city and practising his tricks.
“He is magnificent.”
Jimin jumped at the sudden voice next to him, stumbling back a few steps. “Fuck me.”
“I will leave that to your husband,” Seokjin said with a cheeky grin, glancing over at the nonbender.
“Oh spirits, it’s just you,” Jimin breathed out, resting a shaking hand on his own chest to calm his racing heart. “Do you have to just appear like that?”
Seokjin pulled out his fan and opened it up, hiding the bottom half of his face. “No, but I think it is funny.”
“Well, I don’t so can you not?” Jimin sighed as he fixed his sleeves.
“I make no promises,” Seokjin hummed. It really made no sense to Jimin that someone like Seokjin ended up being the Moon Spirit. “Anyway, it is the new moon, I wondered if you would like me to guide you to the Spirit World tonight, hopefully this time will be far more… peaceful.”
Jimin swallowed the lump in his throat. He had spent the past week and a half ignoring his trip to the Spirit World, the thought alone made him panic, the feeling of his arms being pressed close to his sides. That wasn’t mentioning the guilt of hitting and kicking and biting Seokjin who was trying to do nothing but protect him from the dangers that lay outside The Moon Spirit Forest.
“I must apologise again for holding you the way I did, I should have given you more warnings about what travelling to the Spirit World would be like,” Seokjin soon cut through his thoughts with a soft smile.
“But I… I hurt you.”
“Hurt me?” Seokjin asked, letting out a surprised chuckle. “You did not hurt me at all, do not fret over such things, humans are far weaker than spirits.”
Jimin blinked a few times before nodding silently. He hadn’t really considered the differences between humans and spirits and how much stronger Seokjin must have been in the Spirit World. “Oh, yeah, that makes sense I guess.”
“So, shall we travel there together tonight?”
“Yeah, I’d like that.”
But it took forever for night to arrive. Jimin tried his best to pass the time in all of his usual ways; listening to Namjoon read, trying to help Hoseok cook, crafting with Yoongi and Jungkook, but nothing seemed to make the time fly. So he adventured out, heading down to Moni’s barn and pulling out his whistle to call the sky bison back.
Moni struggled with landing in the city when they had first moved, but he had perfected it over the years, coming to a neat stop in front of the nonbender.
“Hey Moni, wanna go for a fly together?” Jimin whispered as he rubbed the bison’s side. Moni turned around to nuzzle his nose into the human’s hand with a hum. “I’ll get the reins on you and then we’ll get going, yeah?”
It was far easier for airbenders to climb onto a sky bison but Jimin had learnt how to do it himself over the years. He fetched the rope reins from the barn and threw up one end, the loop catching on Moni’s horn, then using the rope to pull himself up onto the bison’s back. He secured the reins and then held on tight.
“Ok, let’s do this. Yip Yip!”
With that, Moni took off, soaring up into the sky. Jimin had flown the bison himself many times and had been flown around by Namjoon many times more, but he would never get over the views from being up so high. It brought Jimin back to his time in the temple, the days where Namjoon, then only his boyfriend, would fly him around to show him all sorts of amazing things Jimin couldn’t get to on foot. His favourite was the steam that grew into a waterfall on one of the mountain peaks, it was beautiful in the spring.
Omashu wouldn’t have a similar spot, its surrounding mountains not being snow-capped like at the Southern Air Temple. However, there was another spot that caught his eye. Almost all the mountains were completely barren, not a single sign of life on the surface, but there was one with a singular tree on top. The sun was setting as he slipped off Moni’s back and onto the tip of the mountain with the tree, running his fingers over the bark. There was writing carved into it.
“Oma and Shu…” Jimin mumbled, a small smile spreading over his face as he touched the heart carved alongside their names. They must have been deeply in love to come up so high just to carve their names into a tree together.
Moni grunted behind him.
“Yeah, we should get back, you’re right,” Jimin hummed.
It took less time to clamber onto the sky bison the second time and so soon they were flying back at a leisurely pace, landing just before the sun had fully disappeared behind the horizon. He still took his time, thoroughly brushing Moni and making sure he was well fed, as well as filing his claws down so they didn’t grow painfully long. It was only when there was a knock at the barn door that Jimin finally landed.
“Hey, sweetie.”
Jimin looked up from Moni's final paw to find his husband standing in the barn's doorway, a fond smile on his face. He always said how much he loved the fact that Jimin got on so well with Moni as well as animals in general.
“Hey honey, how’s your day been?” Jimin asked as he went back to work. He only had three more claws to file and then he was done.
“Good, I got a lecture about all the different kinds of rocks from Jungkook,” Namjoon hummed, shuffling over to press his forehead to Moni’s side.
“Didn’t he give us all that talk at least three times already in the last year?”
“Yeah, I just don’t have the heart to stop him cus he’s just so excited,” he chuckled. He patted the sky bison a few times before leaning down to press a quick kiss to the top of Jimin’s head. “What about you two though?”
“Boring until we went for a fly, it’s so pretty up there, I’m never getting over it,” Jimin said, thinking back to the tree. “Hey, didn’t Jungkook say something about two lovers called Oma and Shu a while ago?”
“Yeah, they’re the founders of the city, they’re the reason it’s called Omashu, why’d you ask?”
Jimin smiled and shook his head. “Doesn’t matter.”
“If you say so,” Namjoon replied. “Make sure you come in soon though, dinner is almost ready. It’s almost all Water Tribe tonight cus Seokjin’s here.”
“What are you gonna eat then? Water Tribe food is mostly fish,” Jimin questioned with a frown.
It wasn’t required for Air Nomads to abstain from eating animal products, but it was common, Namjoon in particular refused to eat seafood entirely and only rarely ate meat. Jimin often worried about making sure his husband was still eating properly when they were in places that didn’t cater to his requirements and the North Pole had been a nightmare.
“That’s why I said almost all, Hoseok is making tofu for me and Yoongi said he’d make a vegetable stew and a fish one, don’t worry.” Namjoon couldn’t stop smiling, reaching down to gently rest a hand on the top of Jimin’s head.
The nonbender froze, every muscle in his body going tense until his husband pulled his hand away again.
“I’m so sorry, I just wanted to touch you,” Namjoon muttered quickly, holding his hands close to his chest. “You seemed ok with the kiss so I thought you would be ok with my hand as well.”
Jimin gave the other man a shaky smile. “It’s ok, honey, just ask first.”
“Yeah, I should’ve, I’m sorry.”
“You should have,” Jimin agreed as he went about finishing Moni’s final claw and then hanging the large file back up on the wall where it belonged. “Anyway, let’s go have dinner now, mhm? I’m starving.”
He offered Namjoon his right hand. The Air Nomad gently took it with a smile, intertwining their fingers for him.
“Yeah, me too.”
__
The night dragged on until someone cracked a bottle of rum open. Taehyung and Namjoon had both nearly gagged at the slightest sip while Seokjin politely declined, leaving Yoongi, Hoseok, Jungkook and Jimin to share it; though the entire team seemed to loosen up more the tipsier the four of them got. Over time, their laughs grew louder and louder, reminiscing about various embarrassing memories throughout the years.
Eventually, the yawns began and everyone started to trail off to their separate rooms. Jimin gave Seokjin a quick nod before following up after Namjoon to their room, ready to tuck his sleepy, although not drunk, husband into bed. Namjoon went about his routine silently, only speaking up when he lay in bed, Jimin by his side.
“I’m really sorry for earlier, sweetie.”
“What for? Cus if it’s for outting me about that one time I accidentally stepped on a visiting nun’s robe and ripped it in front of everyone, I am literally never forgiving you, that moment already haunts me enough as is,” Jimin huffed.
“No, I meant earlier, when I touched your hair,” Namjoon mumbled, fiddling with their blanket.
Jimin smiled sadly as he reached out to run a hand over Namjoon’s fuzzy hair. “You’re still worrying about that?”
“Of course, I don’t like upsetting you, especially when I know better.”
“Well don’t, I’m fine, you just get some sleep, yeah? Don’t panic, don’t overthink.”
Namjoon nodded and curled up, burying himself in the blankets. “Are you gonna come to bed soon?”
“I’m not sure, sorry,” Jimin said. He leant over to press a kiss to the shell of Namjoon’s ear and whisper to him. “I love you, Namjoon.”
“I love you too,” Namjoon whispered back.
It was nearly impossible to leave his side and head downstairs again but Jimin just about managed, dragging himself back to the living room to wait for Seokjin to appear. It took an eternity for the Moon Spirit to finally rush down the stairs.
“Taehyung was harder to convince to go to sleep than I anticipated.”
“It’s fine, let’s just do this shit,” Jimin said. He had been sitting there long enough to get second, third and fourth thoughts about going back at least. It had been a nightmare trying to get to the Spirit World the first time and he didn’t think he could do it again, but now Seokjin was here, it was too late. He was going to do it.
Seokjin smiled as he sat beside Jimin, closing his eyes. “I will be in my forest the moment you enter, ok?”
“Ok…”
Jimin climbed into the proper position and then started breathing deeply and slowly, trying to clear his mind. He fought through the waves of burning hot hands until he stumbled out into the mud once more, being greeted by long white robes and a pair of bare feet when he looked up.
“Do you need help standing up?”
“No, I got it,” Jimin mumbled as he pushed himself up to his feet, looking down at his muddy jacket. “I’m guessing this is just spirit mud, right?”
“Indeed, you are perfectly clean in the Mortal World,” Seokjin chuckled.
“So… what now?” Jimin asked, looking around the forest.
Seokjin stood up, tapping his fan against the palm of his hand, walking around in a similar fashion to how Jimin imagined all teachers walked; upright and uptight. He had to press his lips together to suppress a smile at a distant childhood memory crossing his mind. The spirit raised an eyebrow but didn’t comment.
“Well, I was thinking we could talk but you seem unwilling to so I will talk for the both of us. Where shall I begin?”
He rested his fan on his chin in thought until his face lit up, rushing back over to Jimin. The nonbender was fairly sure he knew what he was going to talk about, the one person he seemed to never want to shut up about.
“Taehyung?”
“My family! Wait, what?”
“You talk about Taehyung a lot, ok? I feel like it was a good guess,” Jimin replied with a shrug. Every new couple was insufferable.
Seokjin blinked a few times before laughing. “I suppose I do. I will tell you about my family for a change, they were interesting people. I had a younger sister and a baby brother and I suppose I was always a bit of a black koala sheep in my family despite being the oldest. I think my father never liked me, even when he believed I was the Avatar.”
“Why?” Jimin asked with a frown. He couldn’t imagine disliking any of his family like that, let alone any children he could possibly have, Namjoon always said he was loving and forgiving of everyone regardless of whether they deserved it or not. Jimin argued it was the other way around.
“We were opposite people. He was a ruthless businessman and politician who was always out for blood, who believed the ends always justified the means, while I have always been more… gentle I suppose. I even dreamed of being a performer as a child despite my father’s hatred for bending being ‘trivialised’ as he said.” Seokjin had a bittersweet smile on his face.
“But everyone loves bending performances,” Jimin said. He could remember all the displays from his childhood, all the festivals his mother had dragged him along to as a teenager as it was one of the few breaks they both got.
“Everyone but my father, he was a grumpy bastard.”
Jimin’s mouth fell open in shock. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard you swear before.”
“Taehyung must be rubbing off on me more than I expected,” Seokjin laughed, his cheeks tinted pink. “It is true though, he was truly a miserable man to be around. I cannot fathom how he gained so much power while being one of the most awful people to interact with.”
“Lots of them just come out of the right woman and so they get treated like they’re perfect no matter what they do,” Jimin muttered. He had to fight to suppress the swirl of anger and fear in his chest.
“And so many people are afforded nothing for having the wrong father,” Seokjin agreed, his eyes fixed on Jimin. It felt like the spirit was looking through his skin. “Anyway, my sister. She would have made a great fighter if they gave her the chance but you are aware of the Northern Water Tribe’s expectation of women. She ended up making for an excellent mother though, she could not raise her daughter to be a strong bender but she raised her with a strong mind and instilled respect into her son, I wish I could have praised her for it.”
“She sounds like a strong woman,” Jimin mumbled, thinking back on his own family. There was never anyone but his parents.
“She was, she helped my brother grow up a lot as well where myself and our mother failed him. He surely would have turned into a copy of our father had it not been for her hard work,” Seokjin said. He was clearly full of pride for them, his chest puffed up. “They both defended me after I became the Moon Spirit as well and I just… they were the only ones until Taehyung and I will forever be grateful for that no matter how little they achieved. They tried and that is more than what I ever could have hoped for from them.”
“I’m glad you at least had someone in your family, being so alone… it must be shit.”
“It is, that is why I enjoy yours and Taehyung’s and everyone else’s company so much,” he replied as a tinge of sadness crept onto his face. “I hope you enjoy being around me too.”
Jimin smiled softly. “Yeah, you’re not bad. You’re both a lot like what I’d expect from the Moon Spirit and not at the same time.”
“Why do you say that?” Seokjin questioned with a raised eyebrow.
“Well, you’re kind and wise but you’re also just like… some guy who likes awful jokes and seaweed cookies who’s dating one of my friends,” Jimin explained, looking around the forest to avoid seeing Seokjin’s reaction. It looked so similar to the Human World other than the glowing plants and the occasional small animal that wandered in, it was strange to see plain rabbits and mice.
Seokjin laughed. “Well thank you, Jimin, I am flattered that you think I am ‘just some guy’ as well as wise. Those are the two things I aspire to be.”
“Oh spirits, shut up,” Jimin groaned, rolling his eyes. There was a tweet from one of the trees, similar to the first notes of the dawn chorus. “There’s other spirits here, I thought you were like… protective over your forest.”
“It depends on which spirits wish to enter,” Seokjin hummed as he held a hand out. He whistled back at the bird until it flew over and landed on his outstretched finger. It was small and had unnaturally bright purple feathers and such a sweet voice, tweeting and tweeting at the Moon Spirit. He smiled at the little bird. “Only small animals like this come here now though, no one else dares come near my home.”
“Why not?” Jimin asked. He felt sick, the fear creeping up on him.
“I was not always so… accepting of the fact I am a spirit, I was rather scared to begin with and I lashed out at any poor creature that came near me, malicious or not.” Seokjin looked upset, his eyes filled with a familiar guilt that he didn’t even try to mask. He smiled again as the bird flew away, going back to its nest. “I wished to be alone no matter what and it made me aggressive. Now I am calmer and happier, life is returning to my forest and I think it is beautiful.”
“It is.”
Seokjin hummed, his eyes slipping shut. “I am still protective of course, I wish for my home to be safe for both yourself and Taehyung to visit whenever you please as well as a sanctuary for the weaker spirits.”
“It seems like it’s working, Taehyungie comes here all the time and there’s little animals everywhere,” Jimin said.
“It is and I am so glad for it,” Seokjin agreed. “Now, I have to tell you about my mother, she was a rather interesting woman.”
And so they went on, dragging through various topics about Seokjin’s past and the Spirit World until the waterbender finally stood up.
“Well, you should leave soon, it will not do you good to be in the Spirit World for so long when you are not used to it yet. You need rest.”
Jimin felt all the exhaustion hit him when he stood up, his energy seeming to plummet out of nowhere. “Yeah, good idea.”
“Will I see you again before the next new moon?” Seokjin asked with a kind smile. “It is ok if you will not return, I just do not wish to scare you again.”
“I… yeah, maybe, I’ll see how I feel.”
Seokjin’s smile grew. “I will see you soon then.”
“See you soon,” Jimin mumbled as he closed his eyes.
When he opened them again, he was alone in the dark, the lamp on the table having run out of fuel at some point. He was beyond exhausted, struggling to drag himself to his feet and up the stairs to his bedroom to join Namjoon, nearly falling over multiple times while changing into his pyjamas. But when his head hit his pillow, his husband sleeping peacefully on his right, he drifted into a calm, dreamless sleep almost instantly.
__
“Hey, it’s almost lunch, gotta wake up now.”
Jimin groaned as he rolled over in bed, shoving his face into Namjoon’s pillow and inhaling sharply through his nose. He always smelt like incense, the floral smells rubbing off on every fabric he touched in such a wonderful way that Jimin couldn’t help but adore. It certainly made their time apart far easier as all he needed to do to feel close to his husband again was light an incense stick, normally lavender, that was his favourite kind.
“Come on, Sweetie.”
“Five more minutes,” Jimin mumbled, his voice almost entirely lost in the pillow.
“What if I said Hoseok is making spicy noodles for lunch?”
Jimin sat up immediately, his head aching from the dramatic movement. His husband just chuckled, sitting down on the bed next to him to press a gentle kiss to his cheek. “You’re sleeping so much more these days, Sweetie.”
“I… yeah, guess I have,” Jimin said, suddenly very awake.
He wasn’t sure why exactly but he felt the need to keep his frequent, at least weekly if not more, visits to Seokjin in the Spirit World a secret. Just sitting there over the months, listening to the Moon Spirit talk about his life, it brought Jimin comfort knowing that even someone who had been through as much as Seokjin could find peace and joy after it all. Maybe Jimin could make peace with the past as well, just maybe.
“I’m glad, you look better for it,” Namjoon hummed as he rested a hand on his husband’s thigh, giving his soft flesh a tender squeeze.
Jimin raised an eyebrow. “Are you saying I looked bad before?”
“I- what? No, not at all, you’ve always been beautiful, Jimin, no matter how big the bags under your eyes are. You’re just so much brighter than before now you’re not so sleep deprived is all,” Namjoon replied quickly, stumbling over his words as he went. He fell silent when Jimin burst out laughing. “Were you teasing me?”
“Yeah, you’re adorable, honey,” Jimin laughed with pink cheeks. His stomach hurt from both his hunger and his giggles.
Namjoon groaned, running his hands over his fluffy hair; it was getting too long, Jimin would have to shave it for him again soon. “You’re so annoying sometimes.”
“But you love me anyway.”
“I do.”
Jimin leaned over to press a quick kiss to Namjoon’s plush lips, though his husband leaned away with his tongue stuck out. “You’ve got morning breath, go clean your teeth first.”
“Ok fine, fine,” Jimin huffed as he dragged himself out of bed and slipped on his jacket, fighting with the frog closures on the front until Namjoon came up to him.
“May I?”
“Yeah, thanks.”
Namjoon took his time gently fastening Jimin’s jacket, smoothing out the fabric over his arms, running his fingers over the yellow embroidery around the edges. It wasn’t exactly gold but Jimin wouldn’t have liked something so flashy anyway, much preferring the love Namjoon has poured into the needlework himself over something made by a stranger.
“I was thinking, I saw this really nice spot while I was flying around on Moni a while ago, it seems like a really nice place for a picnic,” Jimin said when Namjoon finally pulled his hands off of his husband. “I wondered if you were interested in going with me.”
“Like a date?”
“Yeah, just the two of us, we can get a basket of food ready together and take it up.”
A wide smile spread over Namjoon’s face. “When did you last suggest going out on a date?”
“No clue,” Jimin replied with a shrug. “You know I prefer staying in.”
“Well, I would be honoured to have a picnic with you, sweetie. I’m free tomorrow, we can have a lunch date,” Namjoon said, the excitement spilling out from his body. Jimin couldn’t help but feel a mixture of emotions at that, guilt that just the suggestion of a picnic date could get his husband so excited but also endearment as he practically buzzed with joy.
“Sounds like a plan. Now, time for spicy noodles!” Jimin cheered before racing off downstairs.
“Clean your teeth first!”
__
The cool early winter air whipped around the couple as they climbed off of Moni’s saddle and onto the small patch of grass that surrounded the singular tree on the peak. It smelt salty, almost like the coast, Jimin couldn’t help but smile.
“You’ve got such a pretty smile.”
His husband’s soft hum, a dimpled grin on his face, brought the nonbender back from his memories. Namjoon really was one of the most beautiful men Jimin had ever seen, both on the outside and inside. He had a broad chest that held a loving heart, muscular arms that were practically made to snuggle into on calmer nights, a wonderful mind behind soft eyes on a round face that was perfect to pepper with kisses.
“So do you, love your dimples so much,” Jimin replied as he leaned up to press a gentle peck to his cheek. His husband rested a hand on his lower back and pulled him in for a longer and even sweeter kiss that made his smile grow even more until he felt Namjoon’s lips against his teeth. It would have been uncomfortable with anyone else but it was his husband, his Namjoonie, so Jimin loved every moment.
“You look so happy today,” Namjoon said when they finally parted, his hand still lingering on Jimin’s waist.
“I feel happy,” Jimin hummed. “Just being with you is nice but being up here… it reminds me of my parents. My mother would tell me stories about how before they had me, she’d go out on picnics with my father up on this big hill just outside the city. It had a pond there and they would feed turtle ducks together.”
Namjoon chuckled, “I can see where you got your love for animals from.”
“Yeah... They would travel so far just to see each other for a few days,” Jimin mumbled, no longer able to stop his mind from wandering through all his memories. “It reminds me of a couple we know now really.”
“Taehyungie and Seokjin?” Namjoon asked. They all felt bad for the couple even if no one voiced it.
“Yeah. I hope they get to spend all their time together at some point like my parents do now,” Jimin muttered. He could feel the tears welling up in his eyes as a confusing mix of emotions swirled in his soul, he smiled despite it.
“Can I hug you, sweetie?”
“Spirits, please.”
Namjoon didn’t wait another second before slipping his arms around his husband, holding him as close as possible. “Just tap when you wanna be let go.”
“Thanks,” Jimin whispered, burying his face in the Air Nomad’s neck to hide his tears. He was a mess, crying on a date because of a simple memory or two, but Namjoon comforted him through it all the same, that’s why he had happily accepted the proposal all those years ago.
It had been so simple yet so romantic as was to be expected from the Air Nomad. They had spent another day together as Jimin helped tend to the young sky bison and Namjoon read in the corner of the barn. He was sweaty and tired and the airbender offered to pamper his then-boyfriend, delicately washing away all of his sweat, taking extra care on his arms, tending to him like he was the most important man on the planet.
After he was washed, dried and dressed in warm, soft clothes, Namjoon had led Jimin outside to a candlelit dinner. They fed each other bites of food, Jimin’s right side stuck to Namjoon’s left as it always was back then, giggling and talking as the sun continued to set until the Air Nomad had finally taken Jimin’s left hand and traced over his calloused skin. He whispered about how in love he was with the nonbender, listed all the things he adored about him from his little hands to his tender care of the sky bison and his never-ending strength and resilience, a belief they could be together through everything. Only when Jimin was already crying, choking on his own breaths, did Namjoon finally ask that most wonderful question.
“So, I really wanna marry you, do you wanna marry me?”
What answer had there been other than yes?
Jimin tapped on Namjoon’s shoulder and the arms around him disappeared, though there were soon fingers wiping his tears away.
“Let’s eat now, yeah? I’m starving and I think I actually did ok with cooking today.”
Jimin laughed fondly, thinking back to their rather chaotic morning trying to prepare their picnic together. “You mostly just peeled and cut up the veggies.”
“And? I think I did a great job at it,” Namjoon replied with a smile.
“You did, honey, you didn’t nearly cut any of your fingers off,” Jimin hummed as he reluctantly pulled away to get to work setting up the blanket. Namjoon hopped back up onto Moni’s back to retrieve their basket of food before sending the bison off to fly around by himself.
As they sat there together, the air warmed by Namjoon’s bending, sharing the food they had worked on together, Jimin couldn’t think of a place he would rather be. It wasn’t perfect, nothing ever could be, but he was happy, far happier than he had any right to be. The guilt was eating away at the edges of his stomach, slowly killing his appetite.
Namjoon laughed so wonderfully as he accidentally smeared cream on Jimin’s cheek when he tried to feed him a bite of cake.
His husband deserved someone better.
__
“Koo, you got another letter.”
Jimin and Jungkook both looked up from their breakfast to watch as Taehyung wandered over, a stack of letters in his hand.
“Another?” Jungkook asked, a look of disgust carving itself into his face.
It was an expression he saved for very few things; lemons, kale and the letters that had appeared periodically for almost the entire time Jimin had known the earthbender. He never spoke about them, just shoving them in his pocket with that same mix of disgust and anger as always. Jimin never knew what he did with them but he suspected Taehyung did, he knew everything about his childhood friend.
“Yeah.”
“For fuck’s sake, why won’t they stop sending me fucking letters already?” Jungkook hissed, snatching the letter from the Avatar as soon as he held it out and then ripping it until it lay in pieces over his half-eaten food. “Shit.”
Jimin tutted and pushed his own bowls towards the other man. “Here, I was done anyway.”
“Are you sure?” Jungkook asked. His anger had dissipated almost instantly, looking over at the nonbender with wide, sparkling eyes.
“Of course, eat up, buddy,” Jimin said. Jungkook gave him a bunny-toothed grin before digging in again, humming happily to himself until Taehyung spoke up once more.
“You know, you really need to reply to them eventually, even if it’s just telling them to leave you alone, they’re gonna keep bugging you until you do.”
Jungkook sighed, setting his chopsticks down. “I just don’t want to, ok? They were shitty to me and now I’m done with them. They’re probably just gonna ask for money anyway, why would they suddenly realise I deserve to be respected as a human being and wanna make amends?”
“People change, especially when they’re apart for a while,” Taehyung responded with a shrug. “Just think about it, ok?”
“Fine.”
Taehyung ruffled his best friend’s hair, further messing up his long braid that was still frizzy from sleep. “I gotta head out now, gonna spar with Yoongi and Hobi.”
“Good luck,” Jimin replied, knowing he would likely spend the evening comforting the Avatar while Yoongi cleaned up his various scrapes and soothed his bruises. He didn’t get any response other than a grin and a wave from Taehyung before he disappeared out the front door. The nonbender glanced back over at Jungkook, now stuffing his food down his throat as quickly as possible, a trait Jimin recognised from his youth that he had slowly grown out of at the Air Temple.
“Do you wanna talk about the letters? It can help you put your feelings in order so then you can act.”
Jungkook chewed on his lip ring in thought until he sighed, his shoulders dropping. “It’s just my parents being shitty.”
“What’d they do to hurt you?” Jimin asked softly, reaching over to rest a hand on top of Jungkook’s.
“Aren’t you gonna tell me they’re my parents and I need to respect them and all that?” Jungkook asked so genuinely it made Jimin’s blood boil.
“Of course not, some parents are awful people and you shouldn’t be forced to respect someone who’s awful to you just cus of who they are.”
Jungkook smiled weakly, moving his hand to hold Jimin’s ever so gently, glancing up at the nonbender to check for any signs of discomfort. There was nothing, only a sad smile.
“Well, they… my parents… I was a bad kid, I know I was, I caused so much shit for them but they just… I feel like they didn’t love me at all,” Jungkook started, slowly curling up into a ball. He reminded Jimin of a scared child, hiding in the hope everything would just go away. “Nothing I did was of any value if it didn’t help the family, even if it made me happy, it only mattered if I could make money from it. I get why they were so concerned about it, money was always tight so getting me working as soon as possible made sense but I… I was a kid. I should’ve been playing and learning and all that shit, not crying cus my parents think I’m worthless.”
Jimin slipped around the table to cradle Jungkook’s face. “I get it, I really do, it’s so-”
“No, you really don’t,” Jungkook hissed, pushing Jimin’s hands away from him with far too much force. The nonbender stumbled back with wide eyes, wincing when he landed with a thud, he was surely going to wake up with bruises the next morning. There was a flash of guilt on the earthbender’s face but it soon solidified into that same angry disgust once more.
“You don’t get it Jimin cus you’re from the Middle Ring, you’re not like me, and you’re not like Tae for that matter,” Jungkook said, his eyebrows furrowed. “You grew up in an entirely different world from us, you don’t understand our struggle one fucking bit. You didn’t see how your parents could work until they dropped and we would still be dirt poor cus those damn walls are there as a reminder of how people like me have to do the impossible to become people like you.”
“I just-”
“No. The only reason I’m not still there isn’t cus I’m good for anything, I could save the world and have nothing still, I’m only here cus the right kid befriended me when I was seven and now he’s the Avatar. You don’t know how lucky you are cus you’ve always been looked after.”
Jimin bit his lip hard, trying to contain his sniffles.
“I’m sorry…”
“You should be, don’t play dress up and say you’ve lived in true poverty when you could probably just run off home to your family whenever you wanted,” Jungkook grumbled before going back to angrily stuffing food in his face.
“Yeah, I’ll go, you enjoy your breakfast I guess…” Jimin muttered as he clambered to his feet. The earthbender gave him no form of acknowledgement, so he stumbled off, ending up in that same storage cupboard. Namjoon’s old glider. A rack of thick coats and parkas. Old scrolls and books. Sleeping bags and balls of yarn. Old shoes. Large pots filled with clay. Seokjin.
Jimin sank down into a meditation position, squeezing his eyes shut as he tried to clear his head. It was getting easier to do so, to enter the Spirit World, but that was when he was calm, not when he was fighting down tears along with gasps of air. His chest burnt. Everything burnt.
He could finally breathe as he curled up amongst the grass, letting himself cry now he was safe. There was mud on his face, mixing with his spit and tears as he wailed. It felt like his chest was caving in.
“Jimin.”
He pulled his head just enough to see him, Seokjin as the Moon Spirit, sparkling just like he always did. Jimin’s voice was stuck in his throat.
“May I touch you?”
He shook his head roughly, pulling his arms even closer to his chest to protect them.
“I will not then, do not worry.”
Seokjin soon appeared in the corner of his eye, sitting down amongst the dirt. He often did yet his robes were never stained, the same pristine white as always.
“I will sit here until you are ready to talk.”
Jimin didn’t think he would ever be ready. How could he ever? All he had to do was hope that Seokjin really kept all his secrets as he had promised. He grasped at the air from his deep breaths until he finally found his voice once more.
“I lied.”
“As have I, we all do,” Seokjin said softly, running his fingers through the blades of lush grass. “Will you explain what you have lied about?”
“I…” Jimin struggled, digging his nails into the mud. “I can’t.”
“You can. It is hard but not impossible.”
“I’m so scared,” he managed.
“About what I will say?” Seokjin asked.
“About what happens if anyone else finds out.”
“They will never find out unless you tell them yourself, your secrets are always safe in my home so share them,” he said, meeting Jimin’s eye for the first time that day. “What have you lied about?”
“Everything,” Jimin choked. “Spirits, I’ve lied about everything under the sun and now it hurts, it hurts so bad cus they don’t know me, Seokjin. My friends, my own fucking husband, none of them know cus I… I’m so fucking scared of everything. And I can’t undo anything, everything will fall apart if I do and it’s all my fault. Why do I have to be so scared?”
He couldn’t stop the tears rolling down his face in great rivers, his entire body trembling. “I’ve never even been to Ba Sing Se, I didn’t know what the rings meant.”
“Where are you really from then?” Seokjin questioned.
“The Fire Capital…”
He fell silent for a few moments before his eyes widened and then softened again. Jimin felt sick, he knew. He gripped at his short brown hair, threatening to tear it out.
“Why did you say you were from Ba Sing Se?”
Jimin smiled bitterly, his teeth bared, his tears rolling into his mouth. “That’s where my father was from. He promised he would take me one day, that we could meet his parents and siblings and cousins, that we would go to all his favourite places to play when he was a kid.”
The promises were made so weakly, feeble fingers interlocking with his own, chapped lips pressed a kiss to the top of his head. Those same fingers had wrapped his little ponytail up in a green ribbon decorated with flowers. It lay in pieces amongst a mess of dust-coated brown strands.
“My mother told me we would save up and we would go together for my sixteenth birthday, we would get on a boat just like he had done and we… we would travel the oceans to see the other half of me. We would meet the family I hadn’t grown up with and it would have been more than just us, we could have moved there to be closer to them and I…” Jimin couldn’t find any more words. Everything was too much.
“You have been so brave and so strong,” Seokjin whispered. “I am so proud of you for telling me all of this, Jimin.”
“Please… I need you to say something else.”
“What do you need me to say?”
“Anything!” Jimin cried. “I just need some sort of reaction, please, something more.”
Seokjin paused, the forest filled with nothing but Jimin’s sniffles and the shuffle of little animals. “I believe that lying is wrong, especially to those that you love, but fear is a great motivator for action however morally right or wrong it may be. I cannot blame you for your lies but I… I question how they have gone on for so long. How long have you known Namjoon?”
“Almost ten years…”
“And he has no idea about all of this?” Seokjin asked with a deep frown.
“I… I think he has ideas but I’ve never told him cus I can’t… I can’t lose him, Seokjin. I really can’t, I think I’d die from the heartbreak cus I love him so much, he’s so perfect,” Jimin all but begged, though he wasn’t sure what he was begging for exactly.
“I doubt he is perfect when he has allowed you to keep such secrets entirely to yourself for so long,” Seokjin said. Jimin went to argue with him but the spirit cut him off. “I know you two are deeply in love with each other, your adoration for each other is clear in nearly every single moment I have seen you together, but Namjoon is still a person, he is as capable of great mistakes as you are.”
“None of his mistakes would ever be as bad as mine,” Jimin muttered.
Seokjin tutted. “That does not mean we should brush them to the side without comment.”
Jimin couldn’t find a retort so he just stared at the trees across from him in silence. They were blurry but shimmering, everything seemed to shine in the forest, though maybe that was because of the tears still in his eyes. Why did he have to cry so much? He thought he had tamed his tears years ago. There was no room to cry when there was a job that needed doing.
“I think that you have a lot to think about for now, are you ready to leave or would you like to stay here longer?” Seokjin’s gentle question cut through his thoughts.
“No… I wanna go back,” Jimin muttered. His head pounded as he shook it. “I need to do something.”
“Please do not push yourself too hard, you are going to be exhausted when you return.”
Jimin nodded despite the pain, squeezing his eyes shut. “I’ll try I guess…”
“Take care of yourself.”
When Jimin opened his eyes once more, he was back in the storage cupboard. He reached up to touch his cheek; it was wet. He smiled.
“Thanks, Seokjin.”
__
The whole team was there but Seokjin, they had just finished dinner and were sitting there chatting when there was a tapping on the window. Their eyes all went to Eclipse, sleeping soundly in her unlocked cage despite the racket, Hoseok insisted she could sleep through the end of the world if she wanted to.
Jimin was the one to stand up and open the wooden shutters to welcome in the new messenger hawk, offering it his arm without a second thought. It hopped up onto his forearm and turned around to present the message strapped to its back. He untied the small paper scroll and tossed it to Taehyung; he was the most likely recipient of any letter or scroll that found its way to them. Jimin drowned out the sound of the Avatar reading out the message as he went about fetching some fish from his half-eaten stew to feed the bird. He wouldn’t be going anyway.
“Aren’t you so pretty?” Jimin whispered as he gently smoothed down the feathers on the top of its head. He adored messenger hawks, they were proud-looking birds, their chests perfectly puffed up and round and their wings tucked close to their body so neatly. They were also so friendly, happy to snuggle up to a warm body despite their harsh appearance. He had to laugh as the new messenger hawk rested its head against his shoulder, clearly exhausted from flying. “You must’ve rushed here.”
“It did, the message is urgent,” Taehyung said. “I just… I don’t know what we’re meant to do to help.”
“Yeah, this feels like a much more local issue,” Yoongi agreed with a small nod.
Jungkook chewed on his lip ring. “There must’ve been a reason they’re so desperate they had to come to the Avatar. They must not be your average boar-q-pines.”
“Have you guys ever actually seen one of their things?” Hoseok asked with a slight shiver. “They’re terrifying enough as is, I don’t wanna imagine what a super-powered one would be like.”
“Well, we’re gonna find out cus we need to go save these koala sheep somehow before any more shepherds get killed protecting their flocks,” Taehyung replied, still staring at the paper.
Jimin didn’t think before he started speaking. “Fire scares them off. You need to chase them off with torches or firebending until they run away at the first sign of fire and then you set up stone fences with torches mounted on them to contain the koala sheep.”
Namjoon gently took Jimin’s right hand into his own, intertwining their fingers. “Won’t it hurt them though? They’ll get burnt.”
“Of course not,” Jimin replied, shaking his head. “You just wave it in front of them, you don’t actually burn them.”
“How do you know so much about animal husbandry in the Fire Nation?” Hoseok laughed softly.
“Read about it one time in a book,” Jimin mumbled with a shrug. He should have kept his mouth shut.
“You know more than the rest of us put together, maybe you should come along and help,” Taehyung suggested. Everyone looked at him with a look of confusion, everyone but Jimin who was gripping onto his husband’s hand, fighting down the waves of nausea that bubbled up from his stomach to his throat.
He hadn’t gone back for ten years, he didn’t think he ever would. Why would he? It was everything he was running from. He couldn’t, they would all know, they would find everything out. Yet as an argument erupted amongst the group, no doubt Namjoon and Hoseok telling Taehyung off for even suggesting it, Jimin knew he had to act.
“I can go… it’s only gonna be a few weeks,” Jimin cut through all the shouting, his grip on Namjoon still as firm as it could be.
His husband seemed unconvinced. “Are you sure, sweetie?”
“Yeah, let’s do this.”
__
Jimin wasn’t sure if he regretted anything more when his feet first touched the dusty ground, he had to tug his sleeves down to completely hide his hands, he had to stick to Namjoon’s side. He could feel himself overheating already, it was so hot even in the later stages of winter.
At least Hoseok was happy, skipping towards the village they had landed by, so clearly excited to be home. He must’ve got so homesick, Yoongi must have as well by that point, it had been over a year since the waterbender had returned. The only reason Namjoon claimed he never felt homesick is because his home was his husband and he would be fine as long as they were together. Jimin felt sick with guilt.
“Where are we staying?” Yoongi asked.
Most of the time in Omashu he would continue wearing long sleeves, only breaking out his short-sleeved tunics in the absolute height of summer, but he had clearly stolen some of Taehyung’s beige vests for the trip. Jimin doubted he wanted to hide his arm, seemingly not bothered at all about showing how it cut off just above where his elbow should have been. Maybe it had been at some point, Jimin had never asked, he didn’t want Yoongi probing into what lay beneath his own jacket.
“They said there weren’t any empty houses so we’re camping,” Namjoon explained. It finally seemed to be the correct weather for his baggy yellow trousers and red robe, his partially bare chest and completely exposed arms fitting in well with the heat. So was the way of being an airbender Jimin supposed.
“Camping, takes you back, right Koo?” Taehyung laughed.
Jungkook raised an eyebrow. “I thought you were trying to forget when I was training you.”
“I am, it’s just funny.”
Jimin wasn’t sure if he wanted to know what they were talking about with their constant little inside jokes, he had a feeling they would like to keep it to themselves as well. What happens in forests, stays in forests.
“Let’s just find a space to set up camp and then get some food, I’m starving and I need dinner,” Hoseok announced.
“We need tents first, we only have the sleeping bags right now,” Yoongi pointed out.
Hoseok paused before rushing back to link his arm with Yoongi’s. “Let’s split up then, we’ll take food. Namjoon and Jimin can find a space to camp and Taehyung and Jungkook can buy tents.”
No one had any complaints, agreeing to meet up at the village centre again when they had everything before splitting off into pairs to complete their various tasks. Jimin was happy to escape the bustle of the village, walking right back to the outskirts to find a place large enough to house their camp and Moni comfortably.
“We wanna be near a stream as well so we can wash and Moni can drink unless Yoongi and Taehyungie don’t mind bending a ton of water over every day,” Namjoon added as they wandered around the outskirts together, their sides pressed together.
“Yeah…”
He frowned. “Are you sure you’re ok being here? You seem even more… anxious than normal.”
Jimin steeled his face before giving his husband the best smile he could. “Of course, I know myself well enough to know my limits, don’t worry, I’ll settle down in a few days.”
Only he wouldn’t, he knew he never would until he got off that damn island and back to his new home in Omashu. He just needed to hide it well enough that it wouldn’t get in the way, that he could help them get the job done and then leave as soon as humanly possible. He had to keep it together.
“What about here?” Jimin hummed as he came to a stop. “You can hear a stream from here so it must just be inside the forest and there's plenty of space, there’s even some rocks and stuff to build a proper fire pit.”
Namjoon smiled softly. “I had forgotten how good you are at this kinda thing.”
“At camping? I’m not amazing,” Jimin replied with a shrug. It was just a means to survive, not a skill to be proud of.
“Don’t sell yourself short, you’re great, sweetie.”
“And you’re biassed.”
“Mhm, I guess so,” Namjoon chuckled, pressing a quick kiss to the side of Jimin’s head. “For now, let’s leave some kinda mark here and then head back to meet the others again.”
“Yeah,” Jimin agreed with a small nod. “Also Joonie.”
“Yeah?”
He smiled weakly. “I’m gonna be fine. Don’t overthink”.
“Yeah, don’t panic.”
__
“Why do we have to build the walls again?”
“To keep the koala sheep in,” Yoongi reminded Hoseok, not looking up from the bucket of mortar he was mixing up.
The firebender huffed as he set down another armful of rocks. “I mean like why are we the ones doing this? Why aren’t the shepherds doing this?”
Taehyung and Jungkook both glanced at each other before The Avatar spoke up. “Because they need help, they’ve got other things to do. My dad always used to say a little bit of labour does you some good anyway, it makes you stronger.”
“This is more than a little bit of labour,” Hoseok grumbled. “Why can’t I do the mixing?”
“You want me to help carry the rocks?” Yoongi asked as he waved what was left of his left arm. Hoseok instantly flushed red and shook his head, going back to his work in silence.
Jimin smiled weakly, looking amongst his friends as they kept going, talking amongst themselves as they carted around rocks to stack up into fences. It reminded him of when he was younger, still only a teenager at the time, working on the walls with his coworkers, and with his friends. They were all older than him and they babied him like it, pinching his cheeks and making sure they fed him plenty of snacks. It wasn’t perfect but he had been content, if only things were still that simple.
He had to fight down a wave of nausea as he watched Taehyung chase Jungkook around with a fireball in his hand, threatening to burn off the earthbender’s long braid if he kept being annoying. It was so obvious they had grown up together, Jimin wished he had someone like that.
“You ok, sweetie?” Namjoon asked, noticing his husband had paused.
“I… not really, I don’t really feel well, it’s too hot,” Jimin sighed. He wiped the sweat off the back of his neck with his sleeve, he was sure his jacket would be disgusting soon enough.
Namjoon frowned. “Maybe you need to wear fewer layers…”
“No!” Jimin shouted before he could control himself. He felt even worse at the thought of taking off his jacket, they would all know and how long would it take for one of the team to overhear their whispers? He couldn’t take it.
“Sorry, just… shit.”
“Go talk to Yoongi, he can help cool you down.”
He gave his husband a weak smile and a nod before shuffling over to the healer and sitting down beside him. Yoongi looked over at Jimin, clearly picking him apart. He often did that, turning to his ‘healer mode’ as Jungkook had dubbed it with a giggle, and inspecting his teammates; he sometimes knew they were sick or injured before they knew it themselves. It was clear he knew exactly what to do with Jimin.
“Sit down, I’ll ice the back of your neck,” Yoongi hummed, wiping his hand clean on his trousers before bending up a blob of water and freezing it in his hold.
Jimin did as he was told and melted the moment the ice touched his skin, cooling him down rapidly. It didn’t feel like enough though, he could still feel himself getting worse and worse.
“Maybe you should go home, Jimin, you seem really sick,” Yoongi said.
Hoseok nodded as he caught sight of the nonbender. “It looks like the start of heatstroke to be honest. I know some of our workers got it during a heatwave when I still lived at home and it was just… not fun for them.”
“Do you want me to take you back?” Yoongi asked. “I can find a tub somewhere and you can have a cool bath.”
Jimin shook his head. It hurt so much. “No, it’s fine, I can go by myself.”
He knew it was an awful idea but he ignored any of his team’s complaints as he stumbled back to the camp. He felt like he was going to collapse by the time he caught sight of their tents but he had to keep walking, pushing until he found the steam. It was too small to be a full river, but it wasn’t tiny either, being big enough for Jimin to kick his shoes off and dunk his feet in.
There were so many beaches around Harbour City, lined with countless little wooden docks the poorer fishermen used. Many of them would let people wander onto them as long as they didn’t disturb their boats, including little Jimin and his parents. He could only just about remember sitting on his father’s lap as his parents stuck their feet in the water, laughing about something together. It was the last trip like that they had all gone on together, after that his father had been too weak to walk so far. Their inside family time was just as special, even if it was just the three of them around a table, Jimin watching his parents play a game he didn’t know the rules to.
He hadn’t realised he was crying until he tasted salt on his lips.
“I’m sorry, father. I should’ve been a better son.”
__
Namjoon awoke to an elbow nudging his side. He looked around the dark tent, trying to get his eyes to adjust to the low light, it must have been the middle of the night still. The shifting next to him continued. He glanced down to see his husband tossing and turning in his sleeping bag, there was no sign of him stopping as he began to mumble.
“Didn’ mean to…”
It had been a while since it had last happened, Namjoon had thought he might have been getting over them but they seem to have been coming in full force again.
“Please, gotta believe me…”
Namjoon reached out to gently grab Jimin’s hips to hold him in place, he had learnt not to hold him by the chest or shoulders the hard way. “Sweetie, you gotta wake up.”
“Why won’t you believe me?”
It had caused so many problems over the years, so much confusion as his mumbles surely turned to screams. Sometimes Namjoon could wake him up though, holding him tight and shaking him until his eyes didn’t look so glazed over, until he was back in reality.
“No… no. No. No! Let me go!”
He just had to keep trying, keep holding his husband down and talking and shaking him and tugging on the jacket he had refused to take off even for bed. Jimin insisted it was only because he was cold but Namjoon knew better than that.
“Please! Stop! It hurts!”
Namjoon climbed on top of Jimin, holding him down by sitting on his legs, and he tugged harder on his jacket. “Sweetie, please, it’s not real, you’re not there, you’re with me.”
He screamed before his eyes finally seemed to focus, looking back at his husband for the first time.
“It’s just me, it’s just Joonie,” Namjoon muttered, gently stroking Jimin’s hip to soothe him.
“Joonie…” He always looked so scared afterwards. The airbender wasn’t sure if he wanted to know what horrors must lie before his husband’s open eyes but he knew it had to do with his burns, what else could it have been?
“Yeah, it’s just me. We’re at the camp, everyone else is safe, you’re safe.”
Jimin slowly seemed to relax, resting his hands on top of Namjoon’s, his breathing calming down. “Safe…”
“Yeah, you’re safe with me.”
He hardly blinked, keeping his gaze locked on his husband.
“I wouldn’t let anyone hurt you, Jimin, I promise,” Namjoon whispered, intertwining their fingers. Jimin gripped onto him so tight it hurt but he didn’t care, it didn’t matter. The only thing that mattered was his husband.
“Promise?”
“I promise.”
__
When Namjoon emerged from the tent the next morning, the tension in the camp was palpable. The whole team were crowded around a campfire, Hoseok stirring a pot of soup above the flames, the others looking at each other in silence. It was clear Jimin had woken them all the night before, leading to one question they all shared but didn’t dare voice, not under the Air Nomad’s watchful eye. He sighed.
“I don’t think Jimin should be here anymore, he needs to go home.”
Yoongi nodded. “He shouldn’t have come in the first place, he’s destroying himself physically as well as mentally by the sounds of it.”
Namjoon sat down next to Hoseok, leaning into his side. The firebender was always happy to slip an arm around a teammate and kiss their forehead so tenderly when they needed it. “It hasn’t been this bad for years, since we first met probably.”
“Do you know why he’s freaking out so much?” Taehyung asked. He clearly regretted suggesting Jimin come along, his face painted with guilt.
“I have my guesses but I’m not sure,” Namjoon replied, looking back over at their tent. Jimin must’ve still been asleep, his night terrors always exhausted him.
“He’s never liked seeing me or Taehyungie firebend so it might be that,” Hoseok suggested, his arm wrapped tightly around the large Air Nomad. “There’s not tons of benders here but far more than he’s used to anywhere else.”
“I just… I don’t think it’s a good idea to speculate too much,” Namjoon sighed. He always hated thinking about his husband’s past for too long, surely if he wanted to share he would have, Jimin knew he could talk to Namjoon about anything.
Yoongi hesitated for a moment before speaking. “I think for now we just need to focus on getting him home before he gets even sicker.”
“I’ll get Moni saddled up,” Namjoon said as he started getting up, though he soon fell still as Jimin emerged from their tent with a deep frown on his face.
“I said I would come and help so I’m staying and helping,” Jimin mumbled through gritted teeth.
“Are you sure-”
“Yes! I know my own fucking limits,” he cut Jungkook off with a hiss.
Jimin pushed on past the camp and headed out into the fields, staggering the whole way. Namjoon was quick to follow his husband. They wandered out further and further, right past the half-built walls and off into the wilderness outside the village, into the dense woodland. The distant crashing of waves weaved between the trees along with the rustling of leaves of evergreens.
“Jimin!”
“Leave me alone!”
Namjoon frowned, continuing after Jimin deeper and deeper into the mess of trees until the nonbender finally dropped to his knees in a clearing. His shoulders were heaving as he gasped for breath, his entire body trembling.
“Sweetie please, I… I don’t know what’s wrong but I know you can’t be here anymore,” Namjoon pleaded, approaching his husband like a scared animal. He always hated being surprised from behind.
Slowly, Jimin turned to face the Air Nomad, tears in his eyes that hadn’t yet had time to spill down his cheeks. “I just wanna help…”
“I know you do, sweetie, but you can’t sacrifice yourself like this, I can’t let you because I love you too much to watch you destroy yourself like this,” Namjoon said so softly as he sat by Jimin’s side, waiting for the other man to lean against him.
“I didn’t think it would be so bad, I thought I could cope with it…”
“But you can’t and that’s ok, you just need to go home and relax.”
Jimin curled up, his face hidden in his knees. “I’m so sorry.”
“You have nothing to be sorry for,” Namjoon whispered, pressing a gentle kiss to the side of his husband’s head. “Just take care of yo-”
He abruptly fell silent as he felt the air around them move, like something was trying to charge-
His head whipped around to see a boar-q-pine running at them full speed and he was frozen in position, his brain unable to keep up.
Jimin was better though, he was faster, he was better at surviving. He jumped to his feet and ran in front of his husband, his face hardened. He wasn’t thinking when he swung his open palm, painting the space in front of him orange and red with a wall of flames. The boar-q-pine ran away with a squeal, disappearing back into the trees.
It was only when he looked back at his husband, eyes wide, terrified, that the firebender realised what he had done.
“What the fuck?”