Jimin spent the next few days relatively alone. Before he wouldn't have complained about this, but there was a part of him which missed the warmth of having Yoongi close. He hadn't seen his master since he walked in on his rocking on the floor. Jimin hadn't seen someone look so broken.

But he didn't feel like it was his place to pry, and so he left his master and waited for the day where Yoongi would come back to him. It was getting to the point where Jimin would have even been content with extremely rough sex if it meant he got to see Yoongi again and know if he was okay.

It was midnight when he heard the soft knock at his door, and he immediately sat up expectantly. Yoongi walked into the room, heavy bags under his eyes and his hair ruffled and matted against his head.

"Can I sleep in your bed tonight?" Yoongi asked, and Jimin nodded, immediately taking off his clothes, "No, no, no baby - keep them on. I just want to sleep."

Jimin put his clothes back on, blushing from embarrassment, and watched as Yoongi slowly padded across the room. Sliding under the covers, Jimin could feel how cold the elder was and he wrapped his small arms around him.

"What's wrong?" He whispered into Yoongi's ear, and the elder's eyes began to water.

"Jimin, do you enjoy your life here?"

"Yes, master-"

"Don't call me that, call me Yoongi."

"Yes, Yoongi," Jimin replied, "I do enjoy my life here. You treat me so nicely, so better than any other owner."

Yoongi never met the younger's eyes, unable to shake the lump in his throat which was building with every second. He couldn't help but feel sickened by Jimin's words; the slave's whole life was centred around surviving, it was all about serving and doing his job.

"Jimin, I should never have bought you, I am so, so sorry," Yoongi whispered, a stray tear now rolling down his cheek which Jimin looked at in shock.

"Yoongi, don't say words like this. I will be a better slave I promise, please don't send me back. I will sleep on the floor if you think I have gotten too comfortable. Just please don't send me back," Jimin cried out, his own eyes now filling with tears.

"Sending you away? Where did you get that idea from? No, I mean it was immoral for me to buy you. You are a human, and shouldn't be treated like an object."

"If you had not bought me, someone else would have. And I can guarantee they would not be so kind," Jimin stroked Yoongi's soft cheek, wiping away the tears which were falling.

There was so much pain in Yoongi's eyes that Jimin felt helpless in what to do to comfort the boy. He looked so defenceless and vulnerable. Placing a soft kiss on his forehead, Jimin snuggled into his side in the hopes that this would ease the pain Yoongi was feeling inside him.

"People used my body when I was younger," Yoongi replied, "They touched me like I touch you, like they had a right to. Hoseok, he tried to make me love him. Just like I do. I am no better than them, am I?"

"You care for me, you look after me, you love me. Even when I cannot. You are nothing like them, Yoongi, do not think like that. Let's sleep," Jimin mumbled, his eyelids feeling heavy as he placed his head in the crook of Yoongi's neck.

Yoongi lay in silence as the boy breathed softly next to him, his eyes fixed on the ceiling. He still felt sick with himself.

And he felt so dirty.

It was like his whole body needed cleansing of years and years of mud. It was caked on him, pushed into every pore on his body. He remembered how scared he had been when he was young and alone in the world. He wondered if Jimin had been that scared when he was sold.

He hoped not.

He didn't want someone like Jimin to feel so much pain. Ever since he set eyes on Jimin he knew he was put on this earth to protect the boy. I guess that's the nature of being bound to someone for life. You want the best for them, but Yoongi had never stopped to question if maybe the best thing for Jimin was being with him.

Jimin still lived every day with the view that he was a slave, even if Yoongi no longer saw him that way. Jimin slept in the servant's quarters, he ate food with the other servants, and he spent his whole day waiting for whenever Yoongi felt like showing up.

Yoongi was filled with the sickening sense that he had not properly thought about how actions would affect Jimin. He was so wrapped up in his own thoughts and feelings that he had never thought to question how Jimin was feeling.

Broken, cracking, and more vulnerable than ever, Yoongi lay in bed and for once did not want alcohol to numb to the pain. Instead, he inhaled the sweet scent of the boy next to him and closed his eyes to sleep.

Tomorrow he would be a better man.

-

Honestly I find it so hard to write these types of chapters because sad Yoongi makes me sad :(

Please vote and comment if you enjoyed 💜