JIMIN

I had to fix this.

It's almost dawn, and everything's quiet except for Jungkook's soft breathing next to me. I've been lying awake for hours, staring back at the ceiling and at him so many times I can't count.

"Jungkook." I finally say, shaking him awake. He mumbles sleepily, tossing back to his other side when I do. "Jungkook, wake up."

"Hyung-ah?" He mutters under his breath, finally blinking his eyes open. The blank white of them hardens my determination even further, and I grip
his shoulder.

"Jungkook? Can you teleport me somewhere?"

"Somewhere—?" He repeats, eyes wide in my direction. The sleep's finally gone from his features, replaced with surprise. "Hyung, what are you talking about? Where do you need to go?"

"Uh— you know where Sage is, right?"

He freezes. "Sage? That's— That's where he lives. Why would you want to go somewhere like that? Do you want something fixed?"

"We're getting your eyes fixed." I say, tapping lightly at his forehead. I only tell him part of my plan, because there's no way he'd help me if he heard the second part.

He might even hold me back.

"They can be fixed? But even White can't do that." But there's a growing smile on his face, and I realize just how much this had been bothering him. Of course— he'd depended on his sight all his life. I couldn't imagine how frustrating it was.

"But you can't tell anyone. We're just going there really quick and then we're coming back, got it?"

He nods brightly, his Blessing already flaring up in excitement.

The others couldn't know. Because the others knew Yoongi, and I knew Yoongi, too. He was someone who didn't help people just out of the kindness of his heart. As the Sage, he couldn't.

Even with V's touch problem with White, I knew he'd only helped because of the one favor he owed Jin hyung. One problem fixed, because hyung had saved his life in the past.

I knew I was going to have to give up something big just to even convince him to consider helping Jungkook.

________________________

JIMIN

"We're here!" Jungkook says, voice excited even though his hand on me is trembling with exhaustion. "Whew, that was farther than I thought. Getting back might be a stretch."

But he's practically bouncing, smile on his face while I'm wringing my hands anxiously.

"Come on. This way." I say, leading him into the open doors of the massive Palace. It must be lonely being here all alone, with no one to talk to.

"Are we almost there?" He says, every step careful although I'd never let him crash into a wall or something like that.  "Is it getting colder? I think it's getting colder."

"I didn't expect you."

Jungkook jumps in my grasp, his Blessing rippling through his body in surprise. We turn in unison, and I tense at the dark-haired, dark-eyed man in front.

"Jimin."

I swallow when I hear Yoongi's amused voice behind me. His catlike eyes land on Jungkook next to my side, gaze narrowing when it fixes on his wandering, silver irises.

His thin lips press together.

"Let's have a talk, Wintry." He says, and I can't help but avoid his piercing stare when he starts. "You know better than to come to me for things like this. I do one favor, in return for a thousand. It's just the way I am."

When I quickly motion silence at my lips and look at Jungkook in anxiety, he rolls his eyes.

"He can't hear us. I've made sure of that already."

"What can I do? In return for fixing his eyes? I'll do anything you ask of me." I say, my tone desperate. He frowns at me when I look up at him, clearly disapproving.

"Throwing out words like this isn't like you. Does Jin know you're here? Making promises like this? Does Taehyung?"

Then he looks at a confused Jungkook next to me, brows raised.

"Does he know?"

When I shake my head quickly, he sighs out so heavily I flinch.

"Go back. This is the only time I'm going to tell you this, Jimin, because I actually care about you and what you do with your life. Even if you clearly don't yourself."

"No!"

I couldn't just go back. The guilt was already so bad, I didn't know what else to do if I didn't shift it onto myself. And I'd come all this way.

When Yoongi turns back, he looks angry. "Jimin, I swear you're—"

"I want you to fix him."

"You stupid idiot." He hisses, crossing his arms as he taps at my shoulder. "Are you prepared to sacrifice everything, then? For that boy's eyes?"

He touches my left eye, my right ear. And then he points at my chest, no longer playing. His expression's completely serious now, features cold and hardened into stone.

"You'll lose half of your sight. Half of your hearing. And your Blessing. You'll become a Powerless."

My entire body goes still. He gets a look at my frozen expression, and then shakes his head.

"Just go back home, Jimin. And take him with you. I told you I curse more than I'm able to Bless—"

"I'll do it."

_________________________

"It'll hurt."

"I-I'm okay with a bit of pain." I mumble, looking around worriedly. "What about Jungkook? Where is he?"

"You love him or something?" He crosses his arms, black eyes flickering towards the right wall. "He's safe, I promise you. I'm not going to do anything, you know."

Then he raises his hand, and I brace myself when I see the violet flames running across his skin. I shut my eyes tightly, but he shakes my shoulder.

"Jimin. It's your eye first." He sighs, and I force them back open. "Dammit— why are you making me do this, hm?"

"I thought you liked stuff like t-this." I say, swallowing when he reaches closer with his flaring hand. "Will it hurt a lot?"

"Yes, usually." He hisses, features focusing. "But I never imagined..."

"It'll be quick."

I don't even have time to react, to even breathe out a small gasp as he touches my left eye. And then his hand flashes, touching the right side of my head.

Then he presses his palm against my chest.

It turns out to be the most painful thing I'd ever experienced in my entire life.

__________________________

"How are you feeling?"

I wake up with a sharp gasp, sitting up on the bed with my forehead glistening with sweat. Yoongi hyung's watching me, lips pursed together when I stumble around for my Blessing.

It's gone.

And when I cover my working eye with one hand, the only thing I see is black. My body feels incomplete, and it feels like someone had balled up a piece of cotton and shoved it deep inside of my right ear.

Half-blind, and a half-deaf. A Powerless.

"How are you feeling, Jimin?" He repeats, running his fingers through his dark hair. "If you're okay, then I'll wake up the boy. I've already restored his Blessing so he can teleport back with you to a Winter."

"I-I'm okay." I choke out, pushing down the panic growing in my chest when I think about having to live like this for the rest of my life. "Yeah— I'm fine."

"You're not planning to keep this from them, are you?" He asks, and I nod firmly. I didn't want Jungkook to feel the same way I'd done.

All that guilt.

"Jimin Winter." He crosses his arms over his chest. "They're going to find out eventually. And that boy will take it the hardest."

"I can pretend." I say assuringly, when I can't even assure myself. "I'll hide it from them. I'll find a way to."

"For the rest of your life? And theirs?"

He sighs when I look down wordlessly at my clasped hands. Then he snaps his fingers, and I jump in surprise when Jungkook's eyes flash open.

"Hyung!"

When his dark doe irises fix clearly on me, I forget about my problems. A proud smile lifts the corners of my lips when he wraps his arms around my shoulders, the color fully back to his silver eyes.

I'd just have to get used to this.

When I look around for Yoongi hyung to thank him and say goodbye for probably the last time, I don't find him anywhere.

My features scrunch.

He'd always left too fast.