Skipping Steps

Jimin moved the too lean, too graceful, body of his as he slid down into the apartment's kitchen island chair. The metal stool was cold and hurt his ass, but he was glad to wrap his palms around the mug of hot chocolate the now thankfully not naked man, Jeon Jungkook, made for him.

Jimin sighed, his eyes heavy as he sipped the edge of the cup. Jungkook's brows lifted at the way Jimin bent his whole body down to slurp the edge of the Mickey Mouse white cup. It had the character flipping someone off and out of everything Jimin was curious about, surprisingly the mug wasn't at the top of his list.

"It's hot." Jimin answered and Jungkook just blinked, staring at Jimin.

Jimin shrugged and did the weird body bend again to drink another sip. A couple hours had gone past since he'd woken up and some of the memories he'd been missing bled back. The images were fuzzy, but he recognized parts of the man in front of him. He remembered meeting Jungkook during some college party but he was scrawnier and shorter back then. Only a handful of tattoos on his knuckles and that eye on his forearm.

The man in front of him now - was not that. He was built where Jimin's muscles had gone lean. His shoulders were massive, broad but not heavy. His forearms, crossed now in front of his chest, could lift Jimin's entire body mass with ease. Veins were defined, snaking around the sleeve of ink that covered his tan skin. The tattoo of the word 'ARMY' still covered his fingers, the eye there as well, but now there was more ink than skin.

Jimin looked away, getting that sick sensation in his stomach that had crept up when he had looked in the mirror earlier. That was a full grown man in front of him - not some college freshmen.

"Can you tell me what the last thing you remember is?" Min Yoongi asked. He was a pale man with the same eye tattoo on his neck that was both on Jungkook's and Jimin's arms. He was some sort of private doctor from the looks of it, Jimin didn't now of any regular doctor who would just show up at a dude's apartment because he asked nicely.

Jimin cocked his head, thinking of the one friend he did remember, Kim Taehyung, and tried to hide the smirk at what Tae would say about Yoongi. Probably that he was hot and he'd want to do some bad things to him.

Speaking of Taehyung, Jimin still hadn't gotten his phone to contact him. Seeing the apartment Jimin guessed that it had to be about sophomore or Junior year of college, that'd make sense to be out of the dorms, so Taehyung had to be near by somewhere.

"I was heading to some frat party with my roommate." Jimin said, looking out the window where sunlight was pouring through a curtained window. He blinked at the sound of cars honking, wondering just when the campus had gotten enough parking spots to supply such a backup. "We were," Jimin paused, looking back at the doctor who was writing down little scribbles in his notebook. "-I'm not sure, actually. I know I felt weird about going though."

Something cold flooded his system and Jimin tried to shake it off the sudden image of a black marble wall with gold streaked through it surfaced - almost like his bare hand was pressing against the cool stone at that very moment. Jimin tried to shake the sensation off. "I'm sorry, I don't know."

Without looking up, Yoongi asked the next question. "What did you major in?"

Jimin rubbed his forehand again. "Dance, I think." His heart started to race. He should call his parents - where was his phone? "I-I don't know. Or maybe finance? My mom wanted me to major in finance but -" Jimin swallowed, feeling invisible hands push him away from the thought. Almost like a gentle nudge that what he was saying was wrong. "Dance, I'm pretty sure I ended up choosing dance."

Another scribble. Jungkook's eyes were panicked now, glancing at Yoongi who shared the quick look before going back to his questions.

"Do you know the date you stopped dancing?"

A flash of a memory came into Jimin's mind. Him in a practice room, a t-shirt soaked in sweat as he flew through the air by the grace of his own feet. His chest hammering as he fought to catch a breath, trusting his muscles to push him over into the next move in his choreography. There was someone else in the room then too - someone at the door watching and clapping the rhythm.

"I stopped?"

Yoongi scribbled a note down.

"Where do you work?"

"I work?"

Yoongi glanced up at that, scrunched his brows, then wrote another note down.

"Where did you want to work?" He reworded.

"I-I don't know."

"How did you meet Jungkook?"

"I'm not sure. I think a frat party a month back?"

Another scribble. Another frown.

"What does Jungkook work as?"

Flashes of the brunette boy laying on a sun soaked bed flew into Jimin's mind. He tried to hold onto the memory, hear the words the beautiful boy muttered into his ear, but couldn't.

Jimin's chest started to hammer as his heart raced. He glanced up at Jungkook who was leaning against the fringe of the kitchen, his built arms crossed in front of him. His eyes were intense, soaking in Yoongi and Jimin's words with a too quiet calm.

"I don't know." Jimin answered.

"Who are your friends? Can you name them?"

"I-no, I-I don't know-"

"Where do you live, Jimin? What's this town called?"

"Seoul?"

A nod. A scribble.

"What year is it?"

"I'm not sure."

"How old are you?"

"I-what year is it?"

No answer.

"Why did you stop dancing, Jimin?"

"Didn't we go over this?"

He was back in that practice room, the smell of rain coating the memory as the sound of the person at the door clapping turned to that of thunder.

"I don't - I don't know. I don't know, I'm sorry. I don't-"

Min Yoongi snapped closed his notebook and gave Jimin a concerned once over.

He stood up, moving to talk with Jungkook but Jimin reached for his wrist to stop him midway. Jimin's hold was strong, his now adult hand able to hold the man front budging. "Please. Yoongi, right? Please tell me what's going on."

Yoongi frowned, but his eyes softened despite it. He gave Jimin a small pat on the shoulders. "You need rest, Jimin. The memories might return on their own, you hit your head hard. Jungkook told me what you did, how you didn't run when you ran into the SADA people-" Yoongi closed his mouth fast and without breathing looked over to Jungkook who's eyes went wide. Jungkook shook his head and Yoongi looked back at Jimin with a tense jaw. "I won't overwhelm you today, Jimin. Just rest."

Yoongi went to follow Jungkook out of the apartment to talk but paused before he headed through the door. Despite being a man of few words, Jimin could feel a heaviness follow next ones: "Be easy on Jungkook. I know you only remember him as a friend but it's hard on him too. He's trying to help you.  It must be terrifying for you to wake up to a life you don't remember but...he's scared too."

"Why do we live together?" Jimin asked and Yoongi glanced at the door before looking back at Jimin.

Something like grief flickered across Yoongi's face. "You're engaged." He said slowly, his low voice heavy. "Jimin, six years have passed since your last memory. A lot has changed."

____

A/N:

If you guys need some good vibes music, I've been listining to an artist called Benee recently on spodify. I'm obessed with her songs, this chapter was written to the Fire on Marz EP 🤚

Also happy holidays for everyone celebrating!! I hope you get lots of rest, peace, and good vibes 💜💜

ALSO 1K??? THANK YOU!!!

- Violette