"I know," Jungkook replies, barely more than a murmur. "I'm not planning on hiding anymore." In some ways, Jungkook still hates the feeling of weakness he gets whenever the bruises see the light of day. Aches he can deal with, the blows as well, but the stain on his skin always remains too long. It'd be one thing to deal with the pain in the moment, but he hates the reminders, hates the fact that he can't even remember the last time there wasn't at least some color marring his skin. Showing that to Yoongi now, the fact that the marks intrude on their intimacy, it still twists something deep inside of Jungkook that he can't quite pinpoint.

But worse than that is the idea of hiding anything from Yoongi, and so he lays it bare, always thinking of the first night Yoongi learned. How in spite of everything, he was still beautiful.

Jungkook wonders if he'll ever be able to Yoongi that same feeling of security. His gaze briefly breaks, given the ready excuse of soft lips to his hand. Yoongi is right; rather than a reward, this conversation feels like work. There's no instant relief. But he has to believe that shining a light on the scars will help down the road, avoiding pitfalls. Learning how to be more present.

"Don't apologize," Jungkook ushers in a whisper, thumb running over Yoongi's knuckle in steady strokes. "...what's it like when it's worse?"