Free Will

Sunbaenim

It was stupid of Jimin to think that he had died.

Voices wash over him, soft and concerned sounding. He wants to reach out to them, tell them not to worry about him, but he's too muddled to do anything more than groan. The voices makes sounds of surprise and he feels hand on him, pulling him. Jimin gives in, unable to fight back.

The voices are back, but this time they're not soft, they're arguing. He can tell the difference between them now. The deep one sounds like he's pleading but Jimin can't hear the words so he doesn't know what the deep one wants. A new voice is angrily responding, it's gruff and scratchy. The third voice makes Jimin's murky thoughts come to a halt. It's so familiar, more so than anything he's ever heard before. It sounds like home, like childhood.

Maybe he's still unconscious because there's no way that voice could belong to who he thinks it does.

The third time he reaches consciousness he can hear breathing close to him. Curious, Jimin forces his eyes open. Beside him is a young man who has his eyes trained on Jimin.

"You're awake! We thought you were dead when we first found you! Can you talk? Do you need water? Hyung said to make sure you something to drink when you woke up so I have to give you some. Can you sit up on your own or do you need help?"

Jimin blinks at the onslaught of words, realizing that the boy is right, he probably does need something to drink. "I can sit." He says softly.

The boy smiles at him, his mouth shaping into a box. "Okay then, go for it!"

Jimin pushes himself up slowly, testing his muscles. Once he's able to sit without using both of his arms to support himself the boy hands him a waterskin.

"So, what's your name?"

He tries to form his mouth to make the sound 'Jimin' but a slight choking sound is all that he can produce. Upon seeing the boys concern he drinks the water, as if the problem is that his throats too dry. "Chim." He lies.

"That's such a cute name! I'm Taehyung but everyone just calls me Tae. I think it's cause they're all older than me and calling me Taehyung sounds too close to Tae Hyung- you know what I mean? Well except for Kookie, he's younger than me and he calls me Taehyung. So I guess my name is really just Tae."

"Do you-" Jimin halts, not wanting to be rude to this stranger. "Do you always talk this much?"

"Yup!" Taehyung smiles brightly, "Why? Is it," He pauses and imbues his voice with fake horror, "Annoying?"

Jimin giggle. "No."

"Augh, you're so cute Chim!" Taehyung reaches forward to squish Jimin's cheeks, his deep voice in direct contrast to his personality as he ohs and aws at Jimin.

Jimin scowls, "Watch it, I'm your Hyung, shouldn't you treat me with respect?"

"You don't know you're my Hyung!" Taehyung pouts at him

Jimin tries to think of a way to defend himself without disclosing a false age. "I'm pretty sure I'm older than you."

"Then how old are you?"

"I-" Jimin pauses shyly, deciding to just tell part of the truth. "I don't know exactly..."

"Oh! That's okay! I guess you have to be older than me, seeing as you have old person hair."

He touches his hair self consciously. Jimin forgot that his hair was a silvery gray, the only part of him that showed any inclination of his age. "It's natural, believe it or not." He may not have been born with this as his hair color but he hadn't added anything to make it this way so it technically was natural. His previously black hair had been normal though, now the strange color was just another part of him that's different.