Jimin sat in his room, his face still red and puffy with tears. He hadn't left since Thursday when his date was. Jimin really thought he'd be ready to let go of Taemin. He told himself that they would meet again like nothing had changed but he couldn't lie to himself forever.

He hated feeling like this. So weak and alone. The empty pit in his stomach was begging him to eat something yet Jimin refused. He didn't want to do anything that didn't involve his lost love. He thought he didn't deserve it.

Taemin left because of him, because of something he did. He didn't want to be near him. That's why he walked away, because he thought Jimin wasn't good enough.

As irrational as Jimin knew he was being, he couldn't help it. He kept thinking that if anyone he loved left his sight they'd never come back.

It wasn't a mystery as to why.

Jimin told Namjoon and Seokjin that he didn't remember much from living with his biological parents. Yet that was a lie. Jimin remembered nearly everything. They were adicts who neglected him. He'd go days without food or attention and was practically left to fend for himself. Yet Jimin still wanted to be with them. He wasn't attached, but just didn't want to be alone.

His foster families after were no better. For a whole year, all he did was move around with little to no emotional ground to stand on.

Maybe that was why he got attached to his fathers so quickly. He didn't have anything to go back to. Once he realised that his birth parents weren't raising him correctly, and there were people out there willing to love him - Jimin tried to forget all about them.

They didn't matter anymore. Still, being torn from his mother's arms made his heart ache. Jimin couldn't stop thinking about how they didn't even love him enough to feed him. Why didn't he want to go? Those thoughts were interrupted when he heard a light knock at the door.

"Jiminie?" Seokjin said from outside. "Your dad and I want to talk with you. Can we come in?" Jimin didn't waste any time and responded with a tiny yes.

His fathers' came in a moment later and hurried over to his side, wrapping him in their arms and whispering words of reassurance. Jimin relished in their embrace. "Jimin, please talk to us." Namjoon pleaded. "What's going through your head right now?"

Jimin shrugged, only letting out a shaky breath. Jin stroked his blonde hair, asking him to take his time and collect his thoughts. "It's alright Mochi. We just want to make sure you're okay." They were careful not to mention anything from date as not to trigger their son. No dates, locations, foods, colours or names. Especially Taemin's. Jimin had only just stopped mumbling his name and they didn't want him to fall back into it.

"Appa...Dad...? Do you love me?" The boy asked suddenly, making his father's look at him with wide eyes.

"Of course we love you Jimin!" Jin exclaimed.

"Why on Earth would you think we didn't?" Said Namjoon.

Jimin sniffed and hung his head low. "I'm scared you'll stop loving me and leave..." he admitted quietly.

There was a moment of worried silence between the two adults before Jin let out a small sigh, then turned to gently cup his son's cheeks. "Jimin, listen to me," he said gently yet sternly. "Never in a million years would me, your father or Jungkook leave you nor would we ever, under any circumstance, stop loving you. We adore you with all our hearts. Do you understand?"

The boy went silent, nearly hesitating to nod. Namjoon noticed and brought Jimin back into a hug. "No one here would ever abandon you. Even if we drift apart sometimes, we'll still care about each other. No matter what."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

-------------

Jimin returned to school the following week, where he was bombarded with questions and concerns. Thankfully, Jungkook was there to tell everyone to give him some space. Soon, Yoongi and Hoseok joined their side.

To the surprise of everyone, including Jimin, Yoongi nearly toppled him in a hug. "Are you okay? Do you want to talk? I swear to God, I'll beat his ass! That son of a-"

"Yoongi," said Jimin, cutting him off. "I'm fine, really. But...Could you stick with me just for today?" He glanced over at Hoseok, as if asking for permission.

Hobi, thankfully, understood and gave him a nod as well as a smile. The conversation was cut short when the first bell rang through the halls. Jungkook gave his brother a quick hug before rushing off to class with Hoseok.

The others made their way to class as well. Yoongi continuously asked if Jimin was okay, to which he'd always say he was fine. Not good, but fine. He still hoped that Taemin would just show up and tell him he would be alright, but as long as he kept his name out of his mind he wouldn't give himself false hope.

"Look! Jimin's back!" A girl from a small group whispered. "I wonder why he was gone."

"I think it was a break up." Another girl said. Her friend sighed.

"I wish he'd do that for me. It must've been a good relationship if he was willing to grieve like that. Lucky them..."

"Mhm. Hey, guy or girl? We all know he's a whore for both." The girl all smirked at each other, coming up with wild accusations. Both Yoongi and Jimin were close enough to hear. While Jimin was quick to brush it off, Yoongi stood to his defense.

"Don't you have better things to talk about?" He spat. "Jimin was gone for a few days, so what? Even if he did have a break up, he wouldn't throw himself at any of you bi-"

"Yoongi," Jimin warned. He turned to the girls with an apologetic smile. "Sorry about him," he said. "I'm even surprised any of you noticed I was gone. I'm flattered, really."

The girls giggled. "Of course Jimin!" She twirled her hair around her finger. Jimin grinned, sending the group a wink and making them explode into a fit of blush and giggles.

Yoongi sat back down with a huff. "What the hell Jimin?" He said in disbelief. "How can you just flirt like that? Especially after what they said!"

Could Jimin be mean? Sure. Could he be petty or spiteful? Definitely. Though truth be told, he just didn't have the energy this time around. He knew any of them would gladly throw themselves at him regardless of how they gossiped. Why not use it to his advantage?

Jimin twisted the ring on his finger ever so slightly. Besides, no matter who he flirted with, his heart would always belong to one person.

"What's the point in getting angry?" He grinned. "The more people you charm, the more people you'll have on your side. Simple as that."

Yoongi arched his brow at that but said nothing. Jimin seemed to switch back to his usual self pretty quickly. He was only out for a few days but everyone acted like he was gone for a year.

"Do you want me to walk with you Jimin? I missed you so much!"

"You look great today! Want some company?"

"We were so worried! Why don't you sit with us?" Even his teacher wondered if he was alright (courtesy of never missing a day of school he supposed; thanks Seokjin).

Jimin would be lying if he said he didn't enjoy the attention. He found it quite refreshing. However, just because he wanted it, it didn't mean he needed it. Yoongi knew that for a fact.

Call him a pessimist, but Yoongi knew most people at his school were two-faced. They'd praise someone one moment, then gossip about them the next. This applied to Jimin as well. Sure, everyone loved him, but that just made him more susceptible to rumours. Good or bad. Yoongi just didn't want his best friend to deal with that. He knew that Jimin could very much handle himself, but he didn't want to risk him falling apart all over again.

There were a few times when Jimin would cling to Yoongi's arm just for some sort of emotional support when his thoughts got the better of him. As much as he wasn't a fan of skinship, Yoongi let him hold him all he wanted. When Jimin loses someone, whether it be family, friends, hell, even a pet fish - he took it as though they were gone from the world forever. Even though it sounds dramatic, Yoongi was going to make sure Jimin could lean on him for whatever he needed.

"Are you doing okay Jimin? Have people been bothering you? Do I need to beat someone up?"

"Calm down bunny," Taehyung chuckled at his boyfriend's protective attitude. By now the group was at lunch. Yoongi was laying against Hoseok's shoulder and Jungkook and Tae were up to their usual cute antics. Meanwhile Jimin just sat there in the middle of it. It made him crawl with envy.

"He hasn't even called me yet..." The blonde said suddenly. Yoongi looked over at him. "He doesn't even care enough to check on me..."

"Then why don't you call him first." Yoongi suggested.

Jimin smacked his a forehead with a groan. "I hadn't even thought of that." He muttered. Jungkook snickered and slid Jimin's cell phone over to him.

His brother smiled then raced out of the cafeteria. Yoongi watched him go. "Don't mess this up Taemin..."

Jimin wasted no time dialling Taemin's number. Yet as it rang, he began to feel a bit nauseous. It had only been a few days, should he really be crawling back so quickly. "Mochi?"

In just two rings, Taemin had picked. Jimin felt like his heart was stuck in his throat, just at the sound of voice. "You sound surprised." He chocked out.

"I am," Taemin replied. "But I'm more relieved than anything." Hearing that, Jimin couldn't help but smile.

"You didn't call..."

"I wanted to give you some space," Taemin said honestly. "But I've really wanted to speak with you. Are you free?"

"I've got all the time in the world."

-------------

Yoongles: So, he called you?

HipGod: Mhm

Yoongles: I told you he'd call when he was ready.

HipGod: I know I know.

Yoongles: A thank you was what I was looking for.

HipGod: *eyeroll*

Yoongles: did you just-

HipGod: Thank you Yoongi. For everything. For real

Yoongles: yeah sure. Just don't forget about everyone while you're living it up in Tokyo. Especially Jimin

HipGod: never in a million years.