"I-I c-can't do it" you stuttered, unable to control your voice as you failed to calm down.

"Yes, you can," Jimin said assertively as he held your shoulders.

You desperately shook your head, eyes brimming with tears as you brought a hand to your mouth.

"Breathe, aegi" he said sweetly, cupping one of your cheeks with his hand. He mimicked the motion, breathing in and out together with you.

Your fearful eyes were fixed on his and you tried to focus on them. His intense stare, fiercely protective, eased the tightness in your chest.

"That's it" he encouraged you, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. He stroked your upper arms up and down gently.

You inhaled and exhaled slowly, closing your eyes for a minute to feel your lungs take in all the air to then release it progressively through your nose.

"This whole thing feels like giving birth" you laughed amused with eyes shut still. Jimin burst out laughing at the comparison.

"That's not possible, is it?" he asked seriously all of a sudden. You looked at him, a concerned expression on his face and his eyebrows furrowed.

You had told him it was okay to finish inside of you, but not the details of what sort of protection there was.

It had been kind of reckless, but he trusted you. You wouldn't do anything that could affect him or your uncle in any way. He suddenly wondered though, with you being sick.

"I don't know" Jimin's eyes widened at your words until you explained, "I haven't had my period in years, my body's just not in good shape"

Not externally or internally, you thought and pouted. Jimin looked at the sad expression on your face and pulled you into a hug, holding the back of your head gently and bringing it against his chest.

You curled up against him, arms wrapping around his waist in a tight embrace. He could feel your fingers on his back bunching up his t-shirt.

Jimin stroked your hair softly when you didn't back away. Laying his head on yours, he hummed a little melody in an attempt to fill the silence, make it seem comfortable and friendly.

"I'm proud of you, aegi," he pointed out, pulling back and smiling brightly at you.

Ever since you'd told him how severe your anxiety could be, he had shared a few relaxation techniques in hopes they'd help make things a little better at least.

Breathing exercises, grounding through the five senses, counteracting the negative thoughts with more positive ones like a mantra and a few mindful yoga moves for anxiety.

When he was around, he could comfort you through skinship, but you had to be able to deal on your own as well.

Sometimes you succeeded and then other times you failed. You kept trying though, that's all that mattered.

You had just had a small amount of food, which was more than you usually did, and you had started panicking.

Jimin knew from his own experience that you could get caught up in your thoughts and end up thinking something was bound to happen.

It felt inevitable, but he had learned it wasn't if you managed not to get all worked up about it. The mind is powerful and if you were sure you were going to be sick, your body would follow through.

"You are doing so well, aegi" he whispered as he was close to your ear.

"Can I have a kiss?" you pouted cutely at him and he chuckled. He pecked you lovingly and then pressed his lips to yours a little less carefully.

His grip on you was getting harder as time passed and the kiss more heated, so you pulled back.

"Jimin-ah, not now" you mumbled rolling your eyes, your cheeks acquiring a pink tint regardless of your stern tone.

Lately he had been really into sex and for some reason you weren't enjoying it as much as you normally would.

He often suggested it as a distraction, yet he looked more frustrated than relaxed after you were done. It felt forced even when it had been his idea to begin with.

He saw the screen of your phone flash on the coffee table as it went off. You excused yourself and picked the call.

It was that guy again, he seemed to call you often. The photograph you had saved his contact with popped up each time.

The man was handsome, he could have been an idol just from his visual appeal. You always walked away to talk to him and locked yourself in your room so he wouldn't hear.

Jimin wanted to ask about the guy. At first it didn't matter to him, he thought maybe it was a co-worker. His calls became frequent though, so eventually he started worrying.

You weren't exactly hiding the contact from him, but were you hinting at something? He felt discouraged, he wasn't being able to satisfy you in and out of bed no matter how hard he tried.

Bringing it up would only make him look less attractive and feel more insecure. He figured he'd just keep doing his best which wasn't really changing much of anything.

You'd turned his advances down on more than one occasion. Of course it was okay if you weren't feeling it, you had a right to decline.

It wasn't easy for you to say no, you'd told him. So that made him feel all the more deflated. It sounded effortless, like you were tired of him.

When you came back you plopped down next to him looking annoyed.

"Do you want to watch a movie?" Jimin offered looking at your hard face. Did you even want company right now?

"Yeah" you replied shortly and he nodded.

"Anything specific?" he asked warily.

"Just pick whatever you want," you replied, waving your arm. You were looking at your phone with an unreadable expression.

Jimin nodded again and went through the list of options on Netflix. He settled for an action movie, knowing you liked those as much as him.

The whole time you looked at the screen unfazed. You seemed to be bored, glancing at your phone often.

You let go of his hand each time you touched your screen and only took his back when he initiated the contact time after time.

"Do you want me to stay over tonight?" Jimin asked when the movie was over and you didn't look any better.

He always slept at your place when you saw each other on weekends, he didn't even have to ask, but today he felt specially unwanted.

"Yes, of course" you replied looking at him with a smile that seemed off and kissed his cheek, squeezing his hand before letting go of it.

Now in your pyjamas and in bed, Jimin kept you close as he back-hugged you. Your arm was wrapped with the one he had over you, he found it comforting after your change in attitude right after being on the phone with that guy.

Jimin kissed the nape of your neck and you waved your hand at him, trying to get him off. You were not in the mood to do anything tonight, he wasn't trying anything though. Earlier you had made it clear and he knew better than to insist. You misinterpreted his affection.

"Jimin-ah, let's get some sleep" you murmured, feeling yourself slowly drift off and he curled up behind you, pressing his cheek to your shoulder blade as he felt he needed you even closer.

He felt so down, so embarrassed for feeling like he wasn't enough for you. His confidence these days was shot, he'd never had issues pleasing any woman in bed and now that it really mattered to him, he actually failed at it.

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