"Floor it," I instruct Manager-nim, looking at the sobbing mess that is Ah Rin in the backseat beside me. Thankfully, he obliges and hits the gas the moment Rin closes the door. I look at her and wonder what could have happened in our few and brief minutes of separation that could have done this to her. She's even worse than she was last night; her sobs are so loud and so forceful that practically the only thing I can hear is the sound of her hitching breath and her occasional attempts to get out words. It's absolutely gut-wrenching to see her like this. I unbuckle my seatbelt and move across the backseat carefully, moving to wrap Rin in an embrace I hope can at least begin to calm her down. As I slowly bring my arms around her, Rin's breath hitches sharply and she grabs onto me with a vice grip. She pulls herself into my lap and clings to me like her life depends on it, and I attempt to just do what I did yesterday. I rub her back gently and attempt to envelop her completely— to separate her from the rest of the world. If she needs a buffer, that's what I'll be.

None of us say anything as we make the trip back to the dorm. Manager-nim drops us off at the back entrance and I carefully help Rin extract herself from the backseat, holding her hand tightly once we're in the parking lot. I use my key to unlock the back door and lead Rin up the back stairwell to the third floor, never daring to let her go. We enter the apartment and we're met with all six of my bandmates huddled around the TV. They'd been watching the showcase, clearly, and must have waited up to congratulate us on winning. Upon seeing Rin in her current state, though, all thoughts of simple congratulations seem to leave them.

"Rin? What happened, are you hurt?" Taehyung asks, jumping up from his spot on the couch upon seeing her. She looks up at him and smiles weakly, and it feels like a stab to the gut for me.

"I'll try and explain later," she manages. It's the first full coherent sentence I've heard from her. Seokjin looks at me and gives me a nod, clarifying that he'll be sleeping on the couch again tonight. I smile my thanks and just keep walking, leading Rin to my bedroom so we can speak privately.

She takes a seat on my bed and I join her, looking at the girl I'd just confessed to as she slowly tries to pull herself together.

"Lay down," I whisper, gesturing to the pillow at the head of the bed. Rin nods weakly and lays down, curling her body into a ball yet again. I'm about to lay down beside her when there's a knock at the door.

I glance at Rin and she nods, granting permission to enter. "Come in," I say. The door opens to reveal Namjoon with a bottle of cold water. He comes over to the side of the bed and sets the bottle on the nightstand, looking at Rin with a concerned and caring expression.

"If you ever need anything from any of us, we're here for you. Wake me up if you even think you need something."

Rin nods, looking up at Namjoon with new tears budding in her eyes. "Thank you, Namjoon. Really, thank you." He smiles softly in return and then leaves us alone again, closing the door behind him.

Now I do actually lay down beside Rin, placing my head on the pillow beside her and resting a hand on her arm. We face each other, and quickly I scan Rin's body. She looks both cold and exhausted, so I pull a blanket up over both of us. When I meet her eyes again she's looking at me expectantly, knowing exactly what I'm about to ask her.

"What happened?" I say, gently stroking Rin's arm.

"He was there," she manages, looking at me with a pained, almost desperate expression. "Juyoung was there."

"What did he say? Did he hurt you?" I start, immediately getting riled up. Rin notices and places a hand gently on the side of my neck, tracing my jawline with her thumb.

"He sounded insane," she begins, her sentences still coming out hitched despite most of her tears having stopped. "He pinned me up against the wall and started ranting. He said he loved me and that he has for years, and that I betrayed him for ending up with you. He said he saw us kiss, too, and that scared me a lot. But he kept saying there was hope for him yet, that maybe I could still love him. He said you hadn't 'taken' me completely, and then he started getting closer, and I thought he was going to—"

She stops, looking at me with new tears again beginning to form. She takes a deep breath and swallows before continuing.

"I kicked him in the stomach and ran. I know he was drunk, but I felt like I was in real danger. I thought he was going to really hurt me, or worse. I just— I can't believe he could ever get this bad. What do I do, Yoongi?"

"No one should have to go through this, Rin," I say, pulling her closer to me. "You are allowed to not love him. He is not entitled to you." I pause, letting that sink in before I decide to continue. "Juyoung needs help. He definitely needs to be on some kind of medication or something like that. But until we can figure out how to get him what he needs, you can't go home. It isn't safe."

"Maybe if we give him a little time, then I'll be able to talk to him, but I'm worried. Juyoung is a loaded gun— he's the definition of self-destructive tendencies. He could destroy himself if we wait too long, but going too soon could be bad, and I know I have to go. I still care about him, there's just no good way to approach him right now."

"Look, if you want me to come with you when you go talk to him I can do that. I can keep an eye on things and make sure nothing gets out of hand. I know he hates me, but I'd rather him hurt me than you."

"You'd really do that?"

"Of course I would. Anything for you."

She buries her face in the crook of my neck, wrapping herself around me tightly. Though her words are muffled against my body, I can still hear the sincerity in her voice when she says, "Thank you, Yoongi. Thank you so much."

And she falls asleep like that, as do I.

* * *

"Yoongi?" I hear the sound of my name jolting me from my sleep. Rin sounds like a kid who just had a nightmare and who's looking for a safe hideaway.

"Yeah?" I respond, looking at the girl in my arms. She's already looking better than she was when she fell asleep— it's clear the rest is doing her well.

"Can you believe it?"

"Believe what?"

"You told me you loved me today. I told you I loved you today. We were in such a rush, it hardly feels like it happened."

I smile at her warmly, touched by what she had to say. "Yeah, I don't think we had the time to really let it sink in."

"Had you ever been in love before?"

"Only with music," I say, laughing at how pathetic that sounds.

"You're such a dork," Rin replies, poking me in the nose and laughing lightly.

"Well, it's true, I think. It all depends on what you define love as."

"And what do you define love as?"

I sigh, trying to find the right words to describe it. "I think love is about devotion. To truly love something you should be able to drop everything, change every single aspect of your life, and to totally leave your comfort zone at a moment's notice. Love is about dedication, I think."

She looks at me with admiration, thinking about my words carefully. "I can't believe people think you're cold-hearted," she says.

"It's just because I'm quiet," I reply.

"Quiet or not, you're one of the best people I know. You're passionate, you're caring, you're forgiving. Anyone who says otherwise is out of their mind."

I blush a little at her heartfelt compliment, unsure how to respond. "Y'know, I really don't think I was expecting pillowtalk this early in."

"Gross," Rin replies, hitting me in the chest lightly.

"Well, I didn't mean it like that," I respond. She just rolls her eyes and curls back up against me, resting her head on my chest. We lay in silence for a little while, just listening to the sound of each other's breathing. I consider Rin's opening to this midnight chat, realizing that she's completely correct. Being able to fall in love at all is incredible, and I think the fact that I fell for Ah Rin out of everyone on this earth is even more so. We found each other, broke apart, found each other again, and fell hard and fast in love without either of us even knowing it. If that isn't a miracle, then there's no such thing.

"I don't think you can define love, really," Rin says, breaking our silence. "Love makes you do crazy things, it totally disrupts the way you normally live your life, and it eventually just becomes a part of it, but those are only things love does. I don't really know what it means."

"You know what I know, Ah Rin?"

"What do you know, Min Yoongi?" She chuckles lightly.

"I know that it's some ungodly hour of the morning right now."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning what you said earlier about us confessing to each other today isn't correct. We did that yesterday."

She rolls her eyes, displeased with my answer. "If you're going to get technical, then yeah."

"You know what else I know?"

"What?"

"It doesn't matter what love means, so long as we know when it hits us. I know that I'm in love with you, and I think it's okay to not completely understand that. It makes things more interesting."

"It doesn't feel real hearing you say that. I don't know, I just feel like I'm dreaming."

"You're awake, Rin," I laugh, playing with her hair absentmindedly. "And if I have to say it a hundred times a day to make it feel real, then I will."

"I'll hold you to that, Yoongi."

"I wouldn't expect anything less."

Again we fall into a comfortable silence, simply relishing each other's presence. Rin looks up at me, a smile resting on her lips. She seems entirely content despite what happened earlier today, and I'm happy to see it. As I look down at her, though, a question comes to mind.

"Hey, Rin?" I ask, my voice quiet.

"Yeah?"

"Why did you forgive me so quickly? When I met you at the show?"

Rin gnaws at her lip, thinking the question over. "I think deep down I knew it was my fault we split," she says after some thought. "And I missed you, too; I just wouldn't admit it to myself."

"Well, I'm really happy you did. I know it sounds cheesy, but I don't want to think about not being around you. Y'know, since I love you."

"You're cute, Yoongi," Rin says. Then she moves again, bringing herself closer to me, and finally ends up right where she wants to be. Rin kisses me softly and warmly, sending butterflies to my stomach that I'm genuinely surprised are there. I kiss her back, knowing that actions speak far louder than words. As Rin pulls away, though, she concludes her message with words I'll never get tired of hearing.

"I love you, too."

I kiss her forehead, smiling down at the girl who changed my life for the better.

"Goodnight, Rin," I whisper.

"Goodnight, Yoongi."

And this time we stay asleep until morning.

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hello!

hope y'all like fluff lmao this chapter was literally only that yikes

hey but if you did like it, please leave feedback! votes, positive comments, or constructive criticism (so long as it's respectful) are greatly appreciated. without them i'll never be able to improve, and i'm always trying to keep getting better! after all, i love to entertain, so being able to be a more proficient writer will help me to do that.

anyway, thanks, and don't let your fears define you (or something else inspirational like that),

sam

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