Her Light
Pairing- Yoongi x Named Reader
Includes- Drug use, depression, protective Yoongi, crying, panic
She sits in her armchair, ignoring the ringing of her cell phone as she slowly pulls the razor's edge down her skin
The bite of pain allows some of the agony inside to be relieved
She woke up like she did everyday for the past two months
Feeling dread followed by crying
She got up from her bed to her chair and it was exhausting
She tried for as long as she could not to cut but after hours of sitting and staring at nothing she can't take the pain anymore
The feelings of inadequacy, the self hate, the wish for everything to stop, to go away
The wish to die
Putting the razor next to the other cut, she presses down, blood running from the wound onto her pajama pants
Then she swipes down, splitting her skin open
And she does it again and again and again until she feels like she can breathe
Her phone rings again
She looks at the screen as she places the razor on the side table
Yoongi
She doesn't know why he's calling
He hasn't talked to her for awhile, too busy with being an idol and with his girlfriend
She doesn't blame him though
She's not as important as everything he has to do
And he doesn't need a fuck up like her in his life
She holds her cut up arm against her body, once again staring at nothing and falling into her thoughts
She hates cutting
But it's the only thing that works since she ran out of her medication
And she can't get more
Three months ago, her job was laying people off
And she was one of them
Receptionist at a gym
She'd been at that job for three years and they just let her go
Effectively cutting off her health insurance and access to her meds
At the time she wasn't worried
She knew that it took at least two weeks for her meds to leave her system so she had a few days too look for a job
Resumes were sent out, interviews occured but nothing ever came of them
She couldn't even get a stupid cashier position at a supermarket
No one was hiring
Everywhere was firing and laying off people instead of hiring new ones
And the more the she fell back into the depression the less she cared about finding a job
Without a job her money ran out
And her meds are ridiculously expensive without insurance
She spent the last of her money yesterday when she used a delivery service to bring her food from the supermarket
She doesn't have an appetite and doesn't eat much
She can't afford it and honestly she doesn't want to eat anyway
So she bought a lot of snacks and water so she could survive
She knows that next month she'll be kicked out of her apartment
Her internet and tv had already been shut off for lack of payment
She used all the money she had saved for bills and rent
But now she's going to be homeless
Again
Just like she was when she followed her best friend, Yoongi, to Seoul
She's such a mess
Her parents were right, she'd never amount to anything
Tears slide down her face yet again
She doesn't know how she can still cry
She's been crying everyday, all day
But the tears still come
Her phone rings again but she doesn't have the energy to talk to anyone
She lets the phone ring, leaning her head against the cushion
Closing her eyes she hopes that if she falls asleep, she won't wake up
He's panicking, driving like a madman to her house
He stopped by her job to surprise her
He had today off and he wanted to spend some time with her
He feels bad for being such a shitty friend
Not calling her for the last few months
He just got so wrapped up at work
And to be truth be told, he listened to his ex when she said she didn't want him hanging out with Joanne alone
No matter what he said, no matter that she was his best friend, his ex gave him a hard time
And the dumb ass he is, thought that it maybe could really work out with her so he gave in
He didn't exactly ignore Joanne because she didn't call him either
But when he got to her job, he found out that she was laid off months ago
He doesn't know why she didn't tell him
Why she hid it
And when he called her three times, texted her like fifty times and got no answer, he started to panic
Not hearing from her for months and now her not answering him is scaring him, making him wonder if something bad happened to her
Parking his car in front of her apartment building, he runs inside and into the elevator
Using the key she gave him, he opens her door
It's dark inside, no lights on
"Jo", he calls, going to her bedroom first
He takes in the unmade bed, the mess of clothes on the floor that's usually never there
Joanne is a neat freak
He runs into the living room, calling her name again, weak sunlight peering in through the windows
Passing by her chair, he glances at it and stops when he sees her there, curled up on the chair, asleep
She looks so different, so skinny
Her clothes are huge on her, like she's swimming in them
"Jo?", he calls
He moves closer to her, kneeling down to her, taking in the bags under her eyes and what seems like tear streaks on her cheeks
"Jo", he calls softly, moving her hair out of her face
He thinks she has to be in a deep sleep because she's not responding to him at all
A splash of red catches his eye and he looks down
The substance looks like blood
But why is she bleeding?
He moves her arm to get a better look and feels something sticky on his hand
He holds his hand in front of him, gasping when he sees blood
He grabs her arm and turns it over, horrified at what he sees
Long deep angry cuts littering her arm, blood running from them
Scabs and scars all over as well
He looks at her shirt where congealed blood is all over it
Her cuts started bleeding when he moved her arm away from her shirt, he realizes
He immediately puts his fingers to her neck, feeling for a pulse
"Please be alive, please be alive", he whispers over and over
He feels her pulse throbbing against his fingers and his heart slows down in relief
His eyes move to the side table where her phone is
And where the bloody razor is
Tears burst from his eyes as he sees it and realized what happened
What's been happening
She's cutting herself
She's depressed
Why didn't she tell him?
Why didn't she ask for help?
He knows what it's like to be depressed, he could of helped her
She knows he went through this
Why would she go through this alone?
How long has this been going on?
Why didn't he check on her?
Why did he wait so long before reaching out to her again?
Why did he let his ex talk him into not seeing her?
Why is he such a failure at being a friend?
He gently takes her other arm, looking at, seeing the scars and scabs on this one too
He cries harder, yelling at himself for not noticing anything
She hears crying in her sleep, wondering if it's her crying again
It wouldn't be the first time she woke up crying
But then she feels a hand around her arm
The arm she cut
Someone is here
She forces her eyes open, dread hitting her hard
She hates feeling that every time she wakes up
She'd never wish that feeling on her worst enemy
Forcing her eyes to focus, she noticed bright blond hair, the person kneeling in front of her with their head down, crying sounds coming from them
"Yoongi?", she whispers, shocked that he's here
His head lifts immediately his eyes on her in a second
"Jo", he chokes out
Why is he crying?
Did something happen?
"What's... what's-"
"Why Jo?"
She blinks in confusion
"Why what?", she asks softly
His eyes move to her arm and her gaze follows
Her arm
Oh god her cut bloody arm
She pulls it away from him, holding it against her chest
He saw
He was never supposed to see
No one was supposed to see
No one was supposed to know
"Why? Why didn't you tell me?"
She doesn't know what to say
She didn't want to bother him with her issues
He always works so hard and he has his own things to deal with he doesn't need hers on top of it
And he was with his girlfriend
She didn't want to bother him when he was with her
She already accepted that he would never love her the way she loves him
But that doesn't mean she doesn't want him to be happy
No matter who it's with
If he's happy with someone else then she'll be ok
And he's happy with his girlfriend and she wanted to leave him alone
"Jo?"
She just shakes her head
"Please tell me why you didn't tell me"
She looks down in her lap, silent
"Please baby, tell me"
He gaze moves to him at the nickname, wondering why he's calling her that
"Are....are you depressed?"
She nods, not trusting herself to speak
"For how long?"
Looking away she doesn't answer
It's not his problem and she won't make it his problem
"Have you been eating?"
Still no answer
"Have you been cccc...", he stops, stammering on that word, "Cutting for a long time?"
Biting her lip she refuses to answer or look at him
"Joanne, baby please. Talk to me"
She shakes her head, tears pricking her eyes
"Please", he begs
She can't
If she starts then she's going to tell him everything
Everything she ever hid from him their entire friendship
"Jo"
Hearing him say her name is breaking her resolve, tears falling down her face
She wants to talk to him but she doesn't want to burden him
She feels his hand gently turn her head to him
She looks at him, his fingers wiping her tears
"Baby", he whispers
She caves, moving from the chair into him
She buries her face in his neck, sobbing, his arms immediately around her, holding her tightly
She can't describe the immense comfort she feels in his arms
Aside from him, she's never let anyone get close
She never let anyone touch her, including him
Yeah side hugs or high fives but nothing else
But to finally feel his arms around her is like heaven
And for him, it's the same
He's wanted her in his arms for years
Holding her, feeling her hold him back like she's doing now
Yes it's not perfect now because she's crying but he'll take what he can get
He runs his fingers in her hair, just holding her and letting her cry
Her sobs are tearing his heart apart
He hates that she's upset, crying, depressed and wants to make everything better
"It's ok baby. It's gonna be ok", he whispers
He knows he's calling her baby
He doesn't know why it came out but now that it has, he can't stop
And he doesn't want to
He holds, rocks and comforts her until her tears slow
After a few minutes of silence, he asks, "Why didn't you tell me you lost your job?"
She shrugs, "It's not your problem"
He doesn't like that answer
She's his best friend, he wants to know about things in her life
"Is that why you've been depressed?"
She shakes her head, "No. It's not because of the job"
"Can you tell me why?"
"Bbb....because I ran out of my depression medication. I don't have insurance anymore and I can't afford to pay the full price. I...I thought I'd be able to find a job right away but I couldn't."
Her answer sinks in
She's been on antidepressant meds?
Why?
He didn't know she was depressed before
"I don't get it baby. Why were you depressed before? You never told me anything"
"I didn't tell you a lot of things"
He's surprised at her answer
What things?
Why wouldn't she tell him?
Didn't she trust him?
"Jo-"
"I didn't have money for my meds", she repeats, tears in her voice, "And it came back. Worse than before. And I...I just can't do anything. I can't get up, I can't care enough to look for another job, all I feel is pain from the second I wake up until I fall asleep. And every night I wish I won't wake up so it could stop"
That alarms him
"No jagi. Don't think that. Don't wish for that. I want you here. The guys want you here.", he panics
She shakes her head, her head against his chest, "I want it to stop. It's not. It's all the time. The only time I feel any better is when I drag a razor through my skin. And it's only for a few minutes until it's back. And I have no money for anything. I can't pay my rent next month and I'm going to be homeless again"
'Again?', he thinks
When was she homeless the first time?
"Jagi when were you homeless? What are you talking about?"
She shakes her head, "I can't tell you. You won't want to be around me anymore"
He can't believe she thinks that
That's not true and never will be
"Jo, look at me", he says, moving her back gently
His heart breaks at the pain and fear in her eyes
"That's not true baby ok? I'll always want to be around you"
She shakes her head, "You won't"
"Yes", he says firmly, "I will Joanne because I love you."
Surprised enters her eyes and body
He loves her?
Is he just saying that or does he really mean it?
Or does he mean he loves her as a friend?
"I love you ok? I know it's not the greatest time to say it but I'm in love with you. For awhile."
Awhile?
He feels like she does?
"So believe me when I say that nothing you tell me will keep me away from you ok? You can tell me anything. You always could and always will ok?"
She nods, believing him
"Tell me baby. What are you so scared to tell me? When were you homeless? Why were you depressed before?"
"Because of my life. My parents"
Her parents?
They always seem nice to him but I guess they weren't
"They uh...they used to beat me. Badly"
What?, he thinks
He remembers some bruises on her face and arms but she always said it was from her and her brother fighting
"But you said your brother-", he starts
"I don't have a brother"
His brain stops working for a few seconds
She doesn't have a brother
So that means.....her parents were hitting her
Oh my god
That was happening and he had no idea
He bought the brother lie
"Why...why did you lie?"
"I had to. My parents told me to say that my brother and I used to fight all the time. Fist fight"
Oh my god
"I never told anyone. Wore long sleeves and pants when they hit my arms or legs"
"Why didn't you tell me?", I ask horrified
"Because we were kids Yoongi. And you...you took my mind off of everything. You were the only good thing in my life. I didn't want to ruin it. I felt safe with you. Happy. And if you knew then you'd always ask me about it and I just wanted to pretend it didn't happen"
He doesn't know what to say
He's glad he was able to help her without knowing but he still would of wanted to know
"When I was around you everything went away for a little while. When you left for Seoul I was happy for you. You were achieving your dream. But everything got worse for me"
"Worse how?", he asks, scared to hear what she was going to say
"The abuse got more constant because I was home all the time. I dropped out of high school right before the end because the beatings were severe. My depression got worse, my cutting got worse and I just wanted everything to end. And I tried to end it"
'What does that mean?', he thinks
"Baby...when you say you tried to stop it-"
"I tried to commit suicide", she whispers, small tears falling down her face again
Oh fuck
She tried....while he was training and making friend with the guys
She was in that much pain that she felt like that was her only way out
And he wasn't there for her
It hits him hard, pain in his chest
"Hhh...how?", he asks
He has to know
How she tried....how he failed her
"Pills. Parents found me, took me to the hospital and got my stomach pumped. My parents declined a psych hold, saying I'm already in therapy and they're gonna take me to my therapist. When I was discharged from the hospital, they brought me home and beat me until I was unconscious"
Rage fills his heart and hate for her parents
"I was brought to a different hospital, my parents saying I was jumped by kids at school. No one said anything. No one asked me anything. They just accepted what my parents said, treated me and sent me home"
He's horrified by everything he's hearing
And by his sheer ignorance of what was happening
"After that, as soon as I could walk again, I packed a bookbag, stole some money from them and left."
When she could walk again?
That means they....broke her leg
"I came to Seoul right after your debut"
He didn't know that
She didn't contact him until three years later
"That's when you were homeless", he whispers
She nods, "I....I didn't want to ruin what you had. What you were doing. So I worked jobs that were cash only and I lived in the parks by the Han river, sleeping under trees or on benches. I worked until I had enough money to get a shitty apartment. Then I got a receptionist job for a doctor's office and worked until I could get this apartment."
He remembers that
When she called him and told him she was in Seoul, she had that job
"The job came with health insurance. I went to a therapist and got medication. I...I did try getting off the meds while I was in therapy a few times but the depression came back worse every time. So I was told I'd have to be on it for life. And I'm ok with it. Only when I finished therapy did I call you and tell you I was here."
This is a lot for him to take in
He hates that he wasn't there for her when she needed him
That she hid it from him
But he can't dwell on the past
She needs him now and he's going to be there for her
"And now", she sniffles, her eyes filled with tears, "I can't afford the medication and I'm going to be homeless again. The landlord hates me and he's going to kick me out. I'm going to lose everything again."
He shakes his head, "No you're not baby. You're not going to lose anything ok? I'm going to help you"
"You can't. I don't want to be a problem for you. You're better off without a mess like me in your life"
He can't listen to her say that
She's all he's ever needed
"No jagi. You'll never be a problem ok? I love you. I'm not letting anything bad happen to you again ok?"
"But you have a girlfriend", she answers
She's happy he's saying he loves her, it's all she ever wanted to hear
But he has a girlfriend and he shouldn't be saying these things to her
"No baby, I don't. I broke up with her weeks ago. She...she wasn't you."
"What do you mean?", she asks, confused
"Every girl I ever dated was to try to get over you. I didn't think you'd see me like that. You never let me get close to you. Never let me hug you or anything so I thought you didn't want me like that. But I.. I realized I loved you when I left for Seoul. I missed you so much and I thought about you all the time. I still think about you all the time"
She's shocked at what she's hearing
His confession is a spark of light in her dark world
She loves him completely too
He was always her light
"But even if I didn't love you, I'd still never let you go through this alone. I know what being depressed is like. I never want you to feel like that. And I'm gonna help you ok?"
"How?"
"I'm paying your rent, all your bills so you can stay here. So you won't lose anything"
"Yoongi-", she starts
This is what she didn't want
Him doing this for her, being a burden
"Then tomorrow, we're going to the pharmacy where you get your medication, refill it and I'm going to pay for it."
She opens her mouth to say something but he hold up his hand
"If you feel like you need a therapist, you're going and I'm paying for it. And if you want me too, I'll stay with you here until your medicine starts working and you feel better"
She shakes her head, "No Yoongi. I didn't tell you everything so you could pay for my things. This is what I wanted to avoid. Being a burden on you."
"You're not", he insists, "I love you, you're my best friend and I'm going to help you. You can never be a burden to me. Ever"
She hesitates
"Please baby? It's just until you get better and find another job ok?"
She nods, taking the help he's offering
She knows she can't help herself so she'll let him now and repay him for it later
"Ok", he says in relief, hugging her tightly
"Yoongi", she says softly, "I love you"
He smiles
"I... I always have been in love with you. You're everything to me", she whispers
His heart is overjoyed hearing her but right now he is more concerned with getting her better than starting a relationship right away
It's not the right time while she's feeling like this
He's not going anywhere anyway and they have the rest of their lives to be together
"I love you too Jo. But let's focus on you getting better ok? When you are, I'll take you on a date and we'll be together ok? I'm not going anywhere"
She nods, "Ok"
She thinks that's a good idea too
She's not going anywhere either
"C'mon baby", he says, "Let's clean up your arm ok?"
She nods, and he stands up, carrying her to the bathroom
He washes her arm softly with soap, then dries it with paper towels
Going through he medicine drawers, he finds ointment, a bandage and gauze.
Holding her arm out, he gently puts the ointment on, rubbing it on her cuts, not caring that he's touching her bloody wounds
Nothing on her could gross him out
"Baby please promise me that if you feel like doing this again, you'll call me ok? I don't want you to do it again and I'll help you however you want."
"You can't drop everything for me", she murmurs
"The fuck I can't. This is serious jagi and I don't care what I have to leave to get to you. If you need me with you, I'll be there. I swear"
Her eyes fill with tears, this time happy tears
He's amazing, he really is
He doesn't have to do anything for her but he his
She's glad she has him
"Ok baby? Promise me?"
"I promise", she nods
"Good"
He puts the bandage on the cuts then wraps the gauze on it to hold the bandage
Then he leans forward and kisses her forehead
She smiles for the first time in months
After he washes his hands, she goes to change her blood clothes and he flushes the razor she used to cut
He waits outside her room while she changes
She opens her door for him
"What do you wanna do?", he asks
"Sleep", she answers
He nods, "I'll stay in the living room. Call me if you need me"
He starts to turn away
"I need you"
He stops and turns back around, "Are you sure?"
She nods, "Stay with me?"
He nods, "Always"
He follows her into her room, getting in next to her in the bed.
He pulls her to him, holding her as she move right against him, her head on his shoulder
"I love you", she whispers
"I love you", he answers, kissing her forehead again
She closes her eyes, laying in his arms, finally feeling safe
Her pain hasn't gone away but for the first time in the last few months, he's given her something she thought she lost, the light that only he could give
Something that she feels inside through the pain
The feeling that everything will be ok
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