hear me- imagine dragons

New message to Yoon: hey.

-is typing-

New Message from Yoon: hey. everything with history class work out alright?

-is typing-

New Message from Yoon: i'm really sorry for the phone call on wednesday.

-is typing-

New Message from Yoon: and i'm sorry i haven't reached out since then.

New Message to Yoon: it's whatever. do you have time today?

-is typing-

...

-is typing-

...

-is typing-

...

New Message from Yoon: no. i'm sorry. but please come tomorrow.

New Message to Yoon: i wish you would stop acting like this and just talk to me.

-is typing-

...

-is typing-

...

Yoon has logged off.

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Checking your hair once more in the mirror, you sighed. It was the day of the rap concert, and you were about to be on your way to the venue per the directions Yoongi had sent you. And even though you were not in the mood to go to something like this, he kept being insistent that you come. You couldn't figure out why, and it was bothering you.

But what was bothering you even more was why he had seemed to have lost his mind within the past week. It had only been a single week since he skipped out on dance practice, running to the hospital, holding you in his arms for several hours while you cried and worried about Stevens. That all had only been a week ago, but Stevens was already at home, well on his way to a steady recovery. Stevens now seemed like the least of your worries.

It had only been 6 days since he came to your dorm room while you worked on frustrating calculus problems as he slept, exhausted and worn down. Since you napped with him for a bit, feeling guilt and worry about his situation at the same time. Since you practically refused his careful kiss.

And it'd only been 3 days since your phone conversation with him. The way he communicated with you that night seemed strange and distant. Overall, it made you uneasy to your core. It made you second guess yourself. It made you feel guilty about not kissing him back; what if he read something into that? He probably did. It made you worry that he was mad at you after all, that he lied about not getting in trouble at BigHit. It made you scared that he was considering his future and giving up so many things just so he could debut. His tone of voice, the shakiness behind it, and the way he was so abrupt caught you off guard that night. He had never talked to you that way, and never once treated you that way. And while he was technically even being rude, your feelings were so hurt he hung up. There was so much miscommunication and unknowns between you two, and that hurt.

It had only been a week, and yet everything had changed so drastically.

You flagged down a taxi because the venue was just out of a comfortable walking distance. And if you were honest, you were already starting the night off in a bit of a bad mood; you didn't feel like walking through the ridiculously crowded city streets on top of that.

However, half-way through your taxi ride, you were beginning to think that perhaps walking would've been a better choice. The traffic was horrible. Given, it was a Saturday night. Still, you found yourself sitting for minutes at a time in a line of traffic. Nervously checking the time on your phone, you debated whether to get out and walk the rest of the way. You were running late now, and as much as pain everything with Yoongi had been lately, you didn't want him to think that you had bailed on him.

"Sir, I'm sorry, but I'm going to get out here," you apologized to the man for the slight inconvenience, and dock of pay, as you handed over the cab fare along with a generous tip. Letting yourself out of the car, you quickly made your way to the sidewalk. You opened Maps on your phone and quickly entered the address as you began walking rather swiftly.

And as much as the strangely chilly weather for late spring was biting at you, and the shoes you were wearing were fiercely uncomfortable, you kept on walking. Because despite everything, you still cared.

You still wanted Min Yoongi.

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~YOONGI POV~

"Namjoon," Yoongi began from backstage, already sweating even though it wasn't hot in the venue yet. It was cold sweat and his hands were clammy.

"Are you okay?" concern was spreading across Namjoon's face as he turned, seeing how sick Yoongi looked.

"I don't think she's going to come," his face paled even more as he peeked out from behind the stage curtain, seeing that the spot he'd reserved for you was still empty.

"There's still ten minutes until it starts. And we're in the third slot," Namjoon reminded him. Yoongi sighed, stepping back and away from the curtain.

"Bang PD is here and yet I don't even care about that. I don't feel nervous about that at all. I'm more scared that she's not going to show up. I think I really screwed things up," the stress in Yoongi's voice was incredibly blatant. His hands were on his temples, trying to massage away the pounding headache that had been bothering and hindering him all day.

He was really starting to regret the phone conversation now; he was becoming worried that he had acted too quickly and strongly because he was overwhelmed with emotions. He figured that phone call probably upset you more than you were letting on, and he'd been short with you ever since.

And if he was honest, he knew Namjoon was right.

He wasn't being fair.

"Breathe, okay? Try to calm down. I know this a lot on you right now, but I need you to make it through this performance. If you can't even handle this, Bang PD is going to lose confidence that you could handle the stress of a performance on a larger scale," Namjoon said, his voice even and calm in some strange way.

"I understand that, but it's not the performance I'm stressed about," Yoongi groaned, beginning to pace in an attempt to calm himself down.

"She'll come," Namjoon tried to reassure Yoongi. But, Namjoon didn't know you, so his reassurances didn't mean much to Yoongi. "I'm sure it'll be fine-"

"Calm down, Joon. I'm not going to bail on you."

Namjoon pursed his lips then, nodding slightly, and letting the conversation drop.

The ten minutes seemed to melt away at an incredibly surreal speed, and the concert began. Yoongi couldn't check to see if you were in the audience anymore; people could easily see him poking his head out from behind the back curtain. That wouldn't be fair to the artist performing as it would be a distraction.

The first 3 acts seemed to rush by even faster, and before they knew it, it was time for them to go out on stage and perform their song together.

"We got this," Namjoon said in a low voice, whispering in Yoongi's ear as they were being announced on the stage.

"I know," Yoongi breathed.

"Calling to the stage, Suga and Rap Monster!"

The crowd was roaring outside, and suddenly, Yoongi and Namjoon were running out on the stage, microphones in hand as the lights faded up, spotlights on them.

One, Two, Three

And then Namjoon was rapping and Yoongi was beside him, eyes adjusting to the changing light. His heart was beating out of his chest and his skin was sweaty and his adrenaline was pumping as every single one of his senses were set on fire. And he felt a slight edge, wondering about you once again as Namjoon continued to rap, Yoongi knowing in the back of his mind that his part was coming up soon. He made eye contact with Bang PD who was smiling, looking impressed and excited. That should've put him at ease. But it didn't.

And then he looked at the empty seat, the one that you belonged in. And it was suddenly hard to remember what he was supposed to be focusing on. It was hard to hear the words that were leaving Namjoon's mouth. It was hard to care about putting on a good show, about leaving a good impression for Bang PD, about the fame in general. His stomach churned and the hot fire that had been burning within him was turning into an icy cold consistency.

Where were you?

Why didn't you come?

You said you would come?

What's the point of all of this if you aren't even here?

What's the point if it gets in the way of time with You?

Why did you break your promise?

Why didn't you come?

Thoughts were racing as his heart kept beating at both uncomfortable and alarming levels. Namjoon's verse was coming to an end, and Yoongi felt himself choking on his own feelings all over again. He could only hope that the audience couldn't see the pain and the fear in his eyes. He was breathing, as deeply as he could, hoping that his facial expression made it same that he was just lost in the music. He held his microphone at his side, knowing he only had seconds before he had to raise it and give the best performance of his life. His eyes squeezed closed as he attempted to force himself to go numb to everything for a few moments, just long enough to get through the song. Just long enough to perform. Just long enough so he could make it through.

And as Namjoon's mouth closed, and as Yoongi was raising the microphone to his face, he caught a glimpse of something. A glimpse of something that made his stomach stop hurting. A glimpse of something that pushed the away the choking feeling that had settled in his throat.

You were there. You did come. And you looked stressed, quickly running for your sweat, eyes wide, likely sweat on your forehead-he couldn't completely tell.

And then he was rapping with everything he had, newfound inspiration and a fresh set of emotions blooming with himself. Because after everything, you showed up. You still showed up even though he didn't deserve that from you, and that meant more to Yoongi than he could ever express with words.

His eyes squeezed shut, the words flowing and flicking off his tongue desperately yet effortlessly now. Emotion and feelings and everything related and in between poured out of him. The sweating grew more intense. His heartbeat was faster, but for now, that was okay.

And then the song ended, and the stage was fading to black again. Namjoon tapped Yoongi's shoulder, "You did a great job."

"She came," Yoongi managed to get out through his uneven breaths. Namjoon's eyes widened.

"Go, then. Go!" Namjoon exclaimed in a rush, running backstage as Yoongi ran down the side steps of the stage, going toward you. The lights were flickering back on as the next act made their way out on stage. But, Yoongi didn't even bother to look back. He didn't even hear their names being called. His eyes were focused on you, and he focused on closing that gap between you and himself.

And he wondered only briefly if you would shove him away. If you would push back, refuse.

But then he had already made his way to you, and your arms were around him as soon as he was in reachable distance. He hugged you in a way he never had before. There were a lot of things he was trying to convey with that hug.

I'm sorry.

I miss you.

I'm an idiot.

Please forgive me.

But, even as he was embracing you, burying his face in your neck, your warmth pressed against him, he knew that this didn't solve everything. He knew that the two of you still had a hard conversation to suffer through together. He knew he had a lot of faults to admit to.

But in that moment, it was just him holding you and you holding him. It was just you drawing in closer to him, as close as you could get, even though he was horribly sweaty and hot. It was just him, his face in your neck as he tried to hold back another set of tears. He'd been crying so much lately that was beginning to grow worried about himself.

"I-I'm sorry I was late," you stuttered, and Yoongi was barely able to hear what you said because of the external noise.

"I'm glad you came," he whispered in your ear, and for a short and fleeting moment, nothing else really mattered.