A soft knock sounded on the door of the Genius Lab. Yoongi sighed quietly and pinched the bridge of his nose. He'd asked everyone to leave him alone for a few hours unless there was an emergency. And based on the tentativeness of the knock, this was not an emergency.

Stretching his arms above his head as he stood, Yoongi headed to the door. When he opened it, he was met with a pair of wide, nervous eyes. Yoongi held back another sigh as nothing was said. Jimin at least had the decency to look a bit sheepish, though, so Yoongi began the conversation instead.

"What's up, Jimin?"

"Sorry to bother you," Jimin began. "I just..."

Yoongi furrowed his brow as he began to notice Jimin's peculiar body language and the fact that he wouldn't meet Yoongi's eyes. "Is everything okay?"

Jimin paused as he stared at his shoes. After a few long moments, he finally looked up and into Yoongi's eyes, and Yoongi was startled to see tears brimming Jimin's. "No, Hyung. I don't think so."

Yoongi's heart leapt into his throat. "What happened?" he asked with a newfound urgency. He stepped forward and looked down the hall both to his left and then right. "Is someone hurt?"

"No!" Jimin's eyes widened. "Nothing like that! I just - could I...talk to you for a minute?"

Yoongi wanted to ask him if it could wait. He was so close to finishing up the song he was working on. He'd been inspired earlier in the day, and knew he could finish it if he just had a few hours alone. Thus, the request of his friends for just that. But he also knew that Jimin, who was always so respectful of not only everyone's time but of everyone just in general, wouldn't dare be here if it wasn't important.

So, he stepped aside and opened the door wider, beckoning Jimin to enter. Jimin kept his head down as he passed Yoongi, as though he were ashamed. As he gestured to the sofa across from his desk, Yoongi decided to say, "It's okay, Jimin-ah. I know this must be important."

Jimin visibly relaxed as he sat down on the couch. He watched as Yoongi sat down in his desk chair and swiveled it to look at Jimin. "What's going on?"

"I just...needed to talk to someone," Jimin said quickly. "Privately. And we're all always together, at the dorm or practice or meetings. I don't feel comfortable talking to everyone just yet. And I knew that, since you asked us not to disturb you, you'd be alone for a few hours. And I'm so sorry to bother you, but I've been needing to talk to someone for a while because I just can't take it anymore. And I thought this would be a good opportunity that I may not have again anytime soon."

Coming to a breathless halt, Jimin seemed to immediately realize he had been rambling. His cheeks turned pink when he noticed how wide Yoongi's eyes had become. "I'm sorry," he mumbled.

Yoongi cocked his head. "Why are you sorry, Jimin-ah?"

"You didn't want to be disturbed and I – "

"I said I didn't want to be disturbed unless it was an emergency. This," Yoongi gestured toward Jimin. "Is beginning to sound like something of an emergency. At least for you. Something important is obviously going on with you, and I'm here for you. Even if I said I wanted to be alone." He smiled warmly and Jimin seemed to relax once again. He timidly returned Yoongi's smile.

"Thanks, Hyung." Jimin then got very quiet as he looked down at his lap. Yoongi could tell he was nervous.

"Do you need some time?"

Jimin shook his head. "No, I've just never told anybody this, and I'm..." He began fiddling with his fingers. "I'm scared," he whispered.

Yoongi was becoming concerned again. He wanted to comfort Jimin, but had no idea what was going on, so had no idea how to do so. He just hoped his friend wasn't in trouble or hurting.

"Jimin-ah – "

"I think I'm gay, Hyung."

Yoongi paused. "What?" he asked with a blink.

Jimin sighed. "I think I might be gay."

Yoongi tried to catch Jimin's eye, but Jimin seemed to have become a master at avoiding Yoongi's. "Okay," Yoongi said carefully. "Is there something wrong with that if you are?"

Jimin's head snapped up. "What?!" Yoongi didn't answer and Jimin seemed to panic. "Of course there's something wrong with that!" he said fiercely. "I-I'm an idol! I have an image to uphold! And ARMY – "

"ARMY will be happy if you're happy, Jimin-ah."

Jimin froze, his mouth hanging open to say more, but at Yoongi's statement, nothing else came. His eyes soon filled with tears again, however, and he slowly began to shake his head. "It's not that simple," he whispered.

"Sure it is," Yoongi continued. "If – "

"We would lose fans! I would drag the group down!"

"If any ARMYs want to stop supporting us or even just you - especially if just you - because of something like this, we don't want them anyway!" Yoongi's tone matched Jimin's fierceness.

Jimin blinked. "But – "

"Life is too short, Jiminie. You need to be happy. You deserve to be happy. It doesn't matter what your job is. You're no different from anyone else in the pursuit of happiness. There's too much sadness in the world today already. Don't create more for yourself." Yoongi reached out and wiped away a few tears that had begun to roll down Jimin's cheek. "Sure there will be people who won't understand. But the ones who will are the important ones."

Jimin tentatively smiled a tiny smile. "I think...I think that deep down, I know that," he said quietly. "But it's still hard."

"I know," Yoongi said. "But look at it this way: if you aren't true to yourself, you'll never get to meet the person out there's who's right for you. People say life's a struggle between resistance and submission, and maybe that's true to some extent. But I say it's a struggle against loneliness. You should give into that struggle, Jiminie. That's the one worth enduring."

Jimin still appeared nervous, but Yoongi thought he saw a bit more relief as well. At least, he hoped he wasn't imagining it. "Do you think you're ready to tell the others?" Yoongi asked.

Jimin considered this before eventually shaking his head. "Not yet. Maybe tomorrow?"

"It's up to you." Yoongi smiled. "This is about you. So, it's your decision."

"Thanks, Hyung." Jimin's eyes filled with tears again. "I don't know why I'm still crying," he said with a humorless laugh. "I feel so stupid."

Yoongi shook his head. "If you can't hold it back, it's okay to cry, Jiminie. Don't feel stupid. This is an emotional topic."

Jimin nodded. "What if any of the others don't accept it?" he whispered.

"Jimin-ah," Yoongi said gently. "They would never. We're brothers."

"But – "

"You're already more than enough to be loved, Jiminie. This won't change that."

A fresh wave of tears snaked down Jimin's cheeks. "Thank you," he said.

Yoongi smiled. "What for?"

"For being here for me. For listening and not judging me and...for being my first ally."

Yoongi stood and walked over to the couch. He sat down beside his friend and pulled him into a hug. "I love you, Jiminie."

"I love you, too, Hyung."