REWRITE
THE STARS
( part 3 )

WORD COUNT 1.8K
OVERVIEW "but i can't have you, we're bound to break, and my hands are tied"

∆

NAMJOON AND JIMIN SAT in namjoon's private greenhouse, glass protecting the two men from the pattering raindrops outside. a teapot was placed on the small table between them, namjoon sitting on a low wooden stool, with a plain canvas in front of him, while jimin was on a small plush sofa, terribly out of place amongst the luxurious surroundings.

he fiddled with the hem of his nicest shirt, looking at namjoon with some nervousness. the older boy was mixing paints, a look of concentration on his face. "you can speak, you know," the other man spoke, startling jimin. "you don't have to sit there like an ornament. even if you and i are different, society-wise, in here it can be you and me. we can be you and me in these four walls, okay?"

"o-okay," jimin stuttered, relaxing-ever-so-slightly and smiling, attempting to relive the tension that seemed thick in the air. "what is it that you want to know?"

namjoon hummed a song jimin didn't know, beginning to dab white paint onto the canvas. "well..." he mused, looking at jimin closely. "describe to me how it feels when you're in the air. what emotions you feel when you hear the crowd cheering you."

jimin crossed and uncrossed his legs, seemingly inspecting a bright orange azalea plant so he could avoid namjoon's eyes. "i feel like i could defeat anyone. like i own the world, like i'm soaring above it all and i can never fall. like i'm just a speck of dust, floating in empty space, yet people notice me as if i was a supernova."

"beautiful," namjoon whispered, as if jimin couldn't hear him. the greenhouse was so silent, that anything was easily heard above the rain that would soon fade. jimin's cheeks turned pink, and he watched as namjoon's gentle hands painted a masterpiece he couldn't see. "continue."

jimin did continue; he told namjoon of his infancy in the circus, how he'd learnt his flying tricks at the tender age of five, how he could climb silk like he was designed for it, how everyone praised him and how he loved performing with his brothers and best friends. and namjoon listened, he was such a good listener, and jimin spoke until he thought his tongue would fall out, and namjoon painted and painted until his canvas was deemed finished.

the two men sat on namjoon's luxurious red sofa, glasses of wine in their hands, albeit it only being four p.m. jimin looked upon how the four o'clock light fell across namjoon's prominent, gorgeous features, and he found himself noticing once again just how attractive the artist was. he knew it was foolish to think about pursuing a relationship, as most men were not like jimin, and viewed him as an abomination.

it was, however, namjoon who bought up the topic occupying jimin's mind, with a silky smooth voice, coated in pinot noir and smooth mozart symphonies. "jimin," he asked, a hand resting on jimin's thigh that jimin didn't push away. it was warm, comforting. "this is a rather... personal question, but it's been playing on my mind. i hope you don't mind."

"ask away, namjoon." jimin nodded, taking a long sip from his glass. namjoon hummed, eyes fixed on jimin's plush lips.

"are you... do you like men, jimin? in a romantic sense?" namjoon's voice shook as he asked, and when jimin nodded he looked extremely relieved.

"i do," jimin responded, without hesitation. he wasn't ashamed of it, no matter how many people insulted him for it. "i do. and you?"

"mmhm" namjoon hummed, his lips set in a thin line. jimin suspected namjoon was one of the many men like him he had met; one of the men who were ashamed of who they were, who were frightened of how people would act. of course, being a homosexual was illegal in the country they were in, a deadly thing that could either end you up in prison or having to be chemically castrated, because homosexuals were supposed to all be pedophiles and rapists. no wonder people like namjoon existed, if the world was like that.

"namjoon-hyung," jimin spoke gently, placing his hand on top of namjoon's and making eye contact with the older boy. "have you ever... have you ever kissed another man?"

jimin could've sworn namjoon's eyes shone with tears as he nodded, biting hard on his bottom lip with his straight, uniform white teeth. "yes. he's dead now," namjoon almost whispered. "i would like to... to do it again."

jimin nodded tersely. he was sure he and namjoon were both thinking the same thing; they wanted to kiss one another. jimin really wanted to know what namjoon's plump pink lips felt like, whether he would be gentle or not. and it seemed he'd be getting a knowledge of that, when namjoon leaned in, closed his eyes, and pressed his soft posh-boy lips to jimin's chapped circus-boy ones.

∆

NAMJOON COULD NOT stop smiling as jisoo pulled him to the circus once more. it had been a week since he had first kissed jimin, a week since the two had started ending their evenings with a glass of wine and plenty of gentle, openmouthed kisses that left jimin gasping.

namjoon had been so nervous about kissing jimin; he was sure his hand had been shaking as he leaned in, so sure that jimin would push him away, even if he did like men the way namjoon did. he knew it was dangerous, them being in a relationship, so highly illegal that they could be sentenced to twenty years imprisoned, but he couldn't care. the look on jimin's face as he had pulled away, the silent gasp, the statement "posh boys like you don't kiss like that" that had namjoon grinning and responding "oh yes they bloody do", which then proceeded into more and more kisses.

the aristocratic boy was planning to tell the circus boy something rather important that night. namjoon wanted to tell jimin he loved him. after the show, he'd ask jimin to come with him, and he'd confess to him under the moonlight. namjoon knew it was foolish, something out of one of his twin's romance novels, to fall in love after a simple week, but he truly felt like he had been in love since he'd seen jimin fly through thin air as if it were nothing more simple than riding a bike. and so namjoon let jisoo drag him once again to the circus, and around all the tents - each act seemingly new - until they reached the acrobats again.

the acrobat tent stayed dark as it had before, and then moonlight came down on jimin's small form, clad in white. his hair was coloured now, a bright pink colour that namjoon had threaded his fingers through the night before, as jimin littered his neck and chest with red roses of bruises that namjoon had had to cover with a strategically placed scarf, but he was proud of them. he watched, he watched as jimin fell through the air, admiration in his eyes.

everything was so perfect.

and then it wasn't.

everything changed in a split second; the once dark tent suddenly was ablaze all around, orange flames licking at the fabric and the wooden stands. screams filled the empty air, shouts coming from circus workers that ushered the crowds outside, everyone panicked and scared, scared for their life. namjoon lost jisoo in the confusion, and worry flooded his mind. the crowds were pushed and shoved outside, namjoon surrounded by screaming children and crying mothers. he found jisoo easily, but there was one more worry.

jimin.

the acrobat had yet to emerge from the tent, although namjoon could see his brothers and friends in a little circle, jeongguk's face splotchy with tears. namjoon rushed over, wanting to check if they were hurt and if they knew where jimin was. all four were fine, but jimin wasn't.

"i don't know what happened to him!" taehyung almost screamed. and that was all namjoon needed to hear, before he abandoned his coat and scarf and dashed into the tent, pushing past the security.

inside was thick with smoke, namjoon wrapping his scarf around his face as he avoided burning wood and all the flames, so many flames. "jimin!" he cried out for his lost love, for the acrobat he wanted so dearly, yelling and yelling until everything went black.

∆

"OH, OH GOD." jimin could not contain his emotion as he saw namjoon's eyes finally flutter open.

it had been a week. a week since jimin's love had almost been consumed by fire and flame, searching for jimin, who had managed to escape before namjoon could even know he had. namjoon had sacrificed himself for jimin, and jimin didn't even know how to thank him, because no one had ever done that for him. namjoon's torso was horribly burned, a half-burnt plank having fallen on him, but he was alive, he was alive.

"j-jimin?" namjoon's voice, croaky after a week of sleeping and recovering, was like the heaven jimin had prayed for all week. the younger boy choked on a sob as he placed a hand on namjoon's cheek, reassuring himself that he was still alive, still there. "oh, jimin, jimin, you're h-here."

"i-i'm here. you're h-here," jimin collapsed onto namjoon's chest. sobs wracking his body as namjoon tried to lift his arm, half wrapping it around jimin's shoulder. "i thought you were gone, namjoon, i thought you were gone!" he couldn't hold back his sobs, and namjoon gently caressed his back.

"i'm alive, prince," namjoon assured, jimin's tear filled eyes meeting his own. "i'm alive, and you're okay, you're okay, we're both okay."

"i'm going to help you get better," jimin said, his voice highpitched. "papa says we can stay in london longer, he'll let me stay at yours and take care of you, i'll masquerade as a servant boy or something, i j-just don't want to l-lose you."

"sweetheart," namjoon took jimin's face in his palm, gentle and caring. "you and i both know we can't stay here. we'll be sentenced to jail if we stay together. where is your circus headed next?"

jimin gulped back his tears, feeling namjoon wipe one away with the pad of his thumb. "a-austria, i think. w-why?" his voice was shaky, trying not to let more tears spill.

"i'm coming with you." namjoon said, having already made up his mind. "jisoo will come too. she and i can work the books, i've spoken to your father, he needs people to handle his finances. we'll be coming along and getting out of england, so jisoo and i can be ourselves. so you and i can be together."

jimin's face broke into a smile, weak and wobbly, but a smile nonetheless. "oh my god. that's... that's brilliant! i can't believe this!" jimin pressed his lips to namjoon's, smiling into the kiss as his chest filled with a kind of emotion he'd only felt a few times before. and when they broke apart, he whispered what he felt.

"i love you."

and namjoon whispered it at the same time.

∆

yay it's finished !!!!! i really love this au bruh minjoon needs more attention

i've got a namgguk request coming up next - its an awesome concept tbh - and i'm planning a whole series of oneshots based off words i like so yea

love u
- jace