Chapter 3

...In the end, it was Taehyung who made Jimin get his head out of his ***, tackling him just over a week after the school bathroom **** *** incident. Waking Jimin up in the middle of the afternoon after he’d fallen asleep on Taehyung’s bed again....

...“Min,” Taehyung growled, shoving him non to gently on the shoulder, waking him from a very nice dream....

...“What?” Jimin mumbled, trying to surreptitiously wipe the drool from the corner of his mouth....

...“You’re doing it again,” Taehyung hissed....

...“Hmm?” Jimin questioned, rolling over onto his back....

...“Humping my goddamn bed in your sleep, what is wrong with you?”...

...Jimin blushed, registering far too late that he was probably at least halfway hard and definitely showing in his jeans....

...“Fuck, sorry Tae,” he blurted out, sitting up too fast and curling over himself. “I need to get laid,” he muttered, mostly to himself....

...“Not usually a problem for you,” Taehyung told him wryly....

...And he wasn’t wrong, Taehyung was the only one that knew him, really knew him. Sure, he had a lot of friends at school, people to chat to and hang out with. And there was his gang too, Koala, Mouse, Sunshine and now Bunny, the kid was growing on him, sure he was still a bit nervy, but he was a hard worker. But people who knew everything? Just Taehyung. Taehyung knew about his family life, that Jimin was on his own for the vast majority of the time, Taehyung knew about his job, what he did to survive, and Taehyung knew about his personal life, about the men he slept with. So, it was no surprise that Taehyung very quickly picked up when something changed....

...“This something to do with Yoongi?” Taehyung asked him....

...Jimin shrugged, looking at Taehyung, trying to tell him without words what he was struggling to vocalise....

...“Oh,” Taehyung said, realisation dawning, “do you like him?”...

...Jimin huffed out a frustrated noise, “no,” he denied....

...Taehyung didn’t even bother to respond, just raised one eyebrow, waiting for Jimin....

...“Fine,” Jimin sighed, “maybe, but he hasn’t… he doesn’t…” Jimin tried....

...“Wow,” Taehyung breathed, “ok, so you like him?” he checked....

...Jimin nodded....

...“Does he like you?” Taehyung asked....

...Jimin whined, throwing himself facedown into Taehyung’s pillows, “I dunno,” he mumbled....

...“Sit up you big baby,” Taehyung chuckled, “you guys are kind of friends now right? Hanging out when he’s tutoring you? Has he said anything? Does he even like guys?”...

...Jimin blushed, “he likes guys,” was all he confirmed....

...It was enough, “Jimin, what did you do?”...

...“Mighthavefooledaroundabit,” he rushed out....

...“Again, at half the speed,” Taehyung deadpanned....

...“We might have, you know, a bit,” Jimin confessed....

...Taehyung sighed, “why does this not surprise me? Do I want to know?”...

...Jimin shrugged, “I haven’t slept with him, he’s a ******, and I think I might be the first guy he’s, you know, done stuff with.”...

...“Min Yoongi a ******? **** off,” Taehyung exclaimed....

...“I’m serious,” Jimin told him, “he’s really sweet.”...

...Taehyung gawped at him, then giggled, “he’s really sweet?” he repeated back, “fuck, you’ve got it so bad, so date him?”...

...Jimin shook his head, “I can’t, I fucked up,” he whined....

...“What did you do?” Taehyung asked him seriously....

...Jimin sighed heavily, explaining exactly what had happed, how he’d sucked Yoongi off, and then freaked out and ignored him, how they’d been caught cheating on the project, how Yoongi had been tutoring him and then finally, how Yoongi had caught him jerking off at school, and how he’d sucked him off again, and how they hadn’t spoken since....

...“Jesus Jimin, you’re a fucking idiot,” was Taehyung’s response....

...“I know,” he told Taehyung softly....

...“You actually like him? For real? Because you’re kind of acting like a total jerk to him, you know that right?”...

...“I’m not,” Jimin protested weakly....

...“Listen, I love you, but you are,” Taehyung told him seriously....

...“Tae,” Jimin whined....

...“What do you want?” Taehyung asked him, “you want to date him? Be boyfriends? Or do you want a fuckbuddy?”...

...Jimin swallowed, “fuckbuddy,” he guessed....

...Taehyung shook his head, “I don’t think you do, I haven’t seen you like this since, well, you know who,” he told Jimin softly, “I think you actually really like him.”...

...To his horror, a lump started to grow in Jimin’s throat, “I can’t,” he whispered....

...Taehyung pulled him in for a hug, “it’s ok to be scared,” he murmured into Jimin’s hair, “but don’t be mean to Yoongi, if you’re his first you don’t want to hurt him, do you?”...

...Jimin shook his head, clinging onto Taehyung and swallowing hard to try and make the goddamn lump go away....

...“You’re going to have to talk to him, you know that right, be honest with him.”...

...Jimin pulled back, “everything?” he asked Taehyung incredulously....

...“Maybe not all at once,” Taehyung smiled, “but at least tell him you like him and why you’re scared, go slow, stop randomly sucking him off and actually get to know him, let him in a bit.”...

...“Fine,” Jimin agreed, cuddling back into Taehyung, knowing he was right, having no idea of how to actually do it....

...They were due for another tutoring session on Monday and, despite missing the last couple, Jimin forced himself to go to Yoongi’s house, wondering if he would actually be let in or not....

...Yoongi was guarded, spiky, and Jimin didn’t blame him. He tried to listen to Yoongi teaching him, tried so hard to concentrate, but all that kept going around in his head were thoughts of how to talk to Yoongi, when to talk to him, what to say, and how to properly apologise. He should have thought about it more, because the jumbled mess of consciousness that randomly jumped out of him when Yoongi was halfway through a sentence was nothing short of totally mortifying....

...“Look, I’m sorry I keep sucking you off and ignoring you, but I kind of like you and everything is just all fucked up because you’re nice and I’m an asshole and you haven’t done this before and I have but the guy was an even bigger asshole than me and got engaged behind my back and then got killed so I don’t really know what I’m doing but I think I want to be with you.”...

...It felt like Yoongi stared at Jimin for an entire minute, neither of them breathing, before Yoongi responded with,...

...“What?”...

...Jimin slumped down in his chair, face flaming, “don’t make me say it all again,” he said softly....

...“I just…” Yoongi started, “your last boyfriend got engaged and then died?” he asked....

...Jimin nodded....

...“How did he die?” Yoongi asked, his face a mask of confusion and sympathy....

...“He…” Jimin started, not wanting to go down the whole drugs route just yet, “he made some mistakes, messed with the wrong people, it was his fault,” he told Yoongi....

...“He was engaged?” Yoongi asked next....

...Jimin nodded again, “yeah, that kind of came out of nowhere, one minute we were banging and he was telling me he loved me, the next, he had a fiancé.”...

...“Fucking hell,” Yoongi breathed, “that must have really sucked.”...

...“Hurt like a motherfucking bitch if you want to know the truth, I pissed on his grave the day he was buried.”...

...“You…what?” Yoongi gawped, letting out a little giggle, “fuck, I’m sorry, you just look far too innocent.”...

...Then Jimin giggled too, at the very notion that he was innocent, breathing just a little bit easier, Yoongi was talking to him, they were talking, maybe he could do this....

...“You like me?” Yoongi asked him softly, his own face colouring slightly....

...Jimin nodded once again, “yeah,” he breathed....

...“Ok,” Yoongi replied....

...“Ok?” Jimin questioned....

...“Yeah, I’m mean, you know,” Yoongi tried....

...Jimin shook his head, “I don’t,” he confessed....

...“Me either,” Yoongi laughed out awkwardly, “I mean you’re kind of giving me whiplash.”...

...Jimin winced, “I know, and I’m sorry, I’m an asshole, but I want to, you know, not be an asshole.”...

...“I’m not going to let you suck me off,” Yoongi told him out of nowhere....

...“Never?” Jimin gasped out, more scandalised than he should be....

...“Maybe, not yet, you keep disappearing,” Yoongi told Jimin softly, and Jimin could see in Yoongi’s expression how much it had hurt him....

...“Do you want to hang out with me tomorrow at my place?” Jimin asked, “no homework, watch a movie or something?”...

...Yoongi thought about it, and Jimin’s heart clenched while he waited....

...He got a little nod in response, “but I’m keeping all of my clothes on Park Jimin,” Yoongi told him, teasing him slightly....

...“You won't even take your hoodie off if you get hot?” Jimin teased back....

...“You just want to see the tattoo again,” Yoongi grumbled but he had a soft little smile on his face....

...“You show me yours and I’ll show you mine,” Jimin joked back....

...“You don’t have a tattoo Jimin,” Yoongi told him with an eye roll....

...“And how do you know that?” Jimin bit back....

...“You literally got completely ***** the first time I went to your place,” Yoongi deadpanned back....

...Jimin’s mouth fell open, “maybe I’ve had one done since then,” he recovered....

...“You haven’t,” Yoongi told him confidently....

...“No, I haven’t,” Jimin confessed, “but I do want one, one day.”...

...“You’ll never be as badass as me,” Yoongi told him with a grin....

...Oh, if only he knew....

...When Jimin didn’t turn up for tutoring after the second **** ***, Yoongi could have kicked himself into the next century for being stupid enough to let him do it again. He can’t say he was entirely surprised, it seems to be Jimin’s forte, suck and go. Did the ignoring hurt him as much the second time? Probably not. Did it still hurt? Yeah....

...And then Jimin did turn up and blurt out a whole mess of information that had Yoongi’s head spinning. He’d had a boyfriend, a pretty serious boyfriend by the sound of it if they were talking about being in love. If Jimin’s disappearing acts hurt, he can’t imagine what Jimin went through to have his boyfriend leave abruptly and then die. It was unreal....

...So maybe he understands Jimin more now, his reticence to get involved makes sense, Jimin is scared....

...He’s not the only one, Yoongi may be vastly less experienced but Jimin’s behaviour has hurt, even if his motivations make more sense now. So, if they’re going to do this, if they’re going to try, Yoongi is going in with his eyes open and his feelings guarded....

...He goes home with Jimin the following day, walking together, talking about random things. And they watch tv in the lounge, something occurring to Yoongi as they sit....

...“Are your parents at work?” He starts curiously....

...His own mum has always had a job that fits in around his school hours, so she’s mostly home when he is, even now he’s older. But he’s never seen anyone else at Jimin’s, which suddenly strikes him as odd....

...To his surprise, Jimin blushes a bit,...

...“Not exactly,” he starts, “my dad… well, I don’t know, he left when I was five, and my mum is in hospital,” he tells Yoongi quietly....

...For a second, Yoongi just stops, Jimin is alone?...

...“Who’s looking after you Jimin?” he asks, confused....

...Jimin smiles softly, “I look after myself,” he tells Yoongi. The swaggering, full of himself Jimin giving way to the Jimin he usually sees at school, quiet and vulnerable....

...“But how? You cook?” Yoongi asks....

...Jimin giggles at that, “yes Yoongi I can cook,” he tells him, “been helping out my mum for years, and when she started to get sick, she taught me.”...

...“What’s wrong with her?” Yoongi asks, wondering if he’s crossing a line here....

...“She’s got a brain tumour,” Jimin tells him, “sometimes she’s better than others. She’s not always in the hospital. When she is, I go and see her twice a week, she doesn’t want me to come every day.”...

...“Fuck, Jimin,” Yoongi breathes out....

...He’s going to ask more, but Jimin’s phone rings, and he rolls his eyes when he sees who it is....

...“I’m not late,” is the first thing he tells whoever is ringing him....

...It’s a short conversation, but Jimin isn’t thrilled by it, sighing heavily as he hangs up....

...“Fuck, I’m sorry Yoongi, I have to go to work early tonight,” Jimin tells him....

...“Work?” Yoongi questions, Jimin has a job?...

...Jimin smiles at him again, “bills still need paying Yoongi,” he teases....

...“You’re at school though,” Yoongi says....

...“No shit,” Jimin deadpans back, “which is why I work at night. Normally don’t start till 10 pm but apparently, I have to go in early tonight.” He trails off, obviously going to say more but suddenly gets evasive....

...“What do you do?” he asks him straight. A simple question, or so he thinks....

...“I…” Jimin starts, huffing out a frustrated breath, “look, I want to tell you, I just kind of can’t.”...

...“Why? Is it illegal or something?” Yoongi jokes, trying to lighten the mood. But Jimin doesn’t reply, and Yoongi knows he’s somehow hit the nail on the head. “wait, really?”...

...“You can’t tell anyone,” Jimin starts, “if I tell you and it gets out…” Jimin shudders....

...“I promise,” Yoongi whispers, unsure if he’s ready to hear....

...“You remember two years ago, at school, there were those two guys, sketchy as **** reputation?”...

...Like Yoongi could ever forget. They’d been untouchable, fellow students, older and younger, teachers and staff, no one could control them. But they were smart, so smart. No matter what accusation was levelled at them, what they got up to, nothing stuck. They breezed through the school as if they owned it, it wouldn’t have surprised Yoongi to find out that they did....

...He nodded, “yeah, the Kim brothers,” he confirmed....

...Jimin pulled a disgusted face, “yeah them, but they’re definitely not brothers, eww,” he cringed....

...Yoongi can’t help but smile a bit at Jimin’s reaction, of all things to disgust him about those two....

...“They’re together, practically married since the fucking stone age,” Jimin told him, “had to watch them grind on each other far too many damn times.”...

...“Anyway, what about them?” Yoongi asked....

...“They’re my bosses,” Jimin told him, “I do, umm, deliveries for them.”...

...And Yoongi isn’t stupid enough to not know that’s only a partial truth....

...“Night deliveries?” he questions, “like food or something?” he prompts....

...“Like drugs,” Jimin whispers....

...“You’re a drug dealer?” Yoongi squeaks in a voice so high he’s kind of embarrassed it came from him....

...He’s on his feet before he knows what’s happening, taking a step back from Jimin, “you’re a drug dealer?” he asks again, horrified and wanting to get out....

...Jimin’s terror is written all over his face, “please Yoongi,” he begs as Yoongi reaches for his shoes, blindly stuffing his feet into them, wanting to escape....

...“I’ve got to go,” Yoongi tells him....

...Jimin looks like he might cry, but he nods like he understands, “please don’t tell anyone Yoongi,” he asks softly, not even following as Yoongi walks out of the door, closing it behind him and walking home with his head spinning....

...When the door closes behind Yoongi with a soft click, Jimin suddenly can’t breathe, his heart is in his mouth, trying to beat its way right out of him. He sucks in little panicky breaths, curling in on himself, reaching for his phone and the one person who can help right now....

...“Thought you were on a date?” came Taehyung’s deep voice, and Jimin can hear the smirk behind it....

...“He’s gone,” Jimin chokes out, his voice wooden....

...“Jimin? Min? ****, what happened?” Taehyung asked him urgently....

...“I told him, he’s gone,” is all Jimin can tell Taehyung, he can’t breathe in, he can’t breathe out, he might actually be having a heart attack right now....

...“Are you at home?” Taehyung asks him urgently....

...All Jimin can do is murmur out a confirmation and hold on until Taehyung gets there....

...He’s fast, Jimin knew he would be, there really is no one else in this world he can rely on like Taehyung, and he was stupid to think he was safe to open up to Yoongi. Now everything is fucked up and he’s put himself in danger....

...Taehyung lets himself in, wrapping himself carefully around Jimin soothing one big hand across his back and encouraging him to breathe....

...It takes a while, but Taehyung being there makes it easier, and little by little the panic fades, he can breathe by himself again, and finally talk to Taehyung....

...He tells him everything, from his confession yesterday to his honesty with Yoongi today, and the fact that he has to go into work early because of some bother with another group....

...“If Yoongi tells anyone,” Jimin chokes....

...“Do you think he will?” Taehyung asks him seriously....

...Jimin shrugs helplessly, “I don’t know,” he whimpers, “he looked so, I don’t know, disgusted I guess.”...

...“We’ll worry about that if it happens,” Taehyung tells him....

...“They’ll put me back into care,” Jimin whispers, a few scared tears falling....

...“Min, we won’t let them, you know my parents will have you if it comes to that right?”...

...“I can’t ask them to, it’s too much, I’ll leave, disappear,” Jimin says sadly....

...“Don’t you fucking dare,” Taehyung growls at him, “promise me now. We’ll figure things out ok?”...

...And Taehyung sounds so sure, so confident, that Jimin relaxes a bit, allowing Taehyung’s assurances to wash over him, to fill him....

...Taehyung soothes him, builds him back up and walks him to work, not leaving him until the last possible moment. And he knows when he gets home Taehyung will be waiting for him, ready to tuck him into bed for the couple of hours sleep he’ll manage to squeeze in before school. Taehyung carries him, and he couldn’t do this without him....

...Yoongi isn’t expecting a random classmate to turn up the same night he’s walked out on Jimin, he knows Taehyung, but they don’t talk, aren’t friends, so his sudden appearance is a mystery. He doesn’t want to come in, doesn’t want to talk at Yoongi’s place, so they go out. Taehyung takes him to a park of all places, and, sitting side by side on the swings in the otherwise abandoned park, Taehyung talks. Yoongi had no idea that he and Jimin were as close as they obviously are. He knew they were friends, but Jimin is friends with a lot of people, not like this though. Taehyung speaks for a while, he’s careful, measured but stern. He doesn’t make excuses for Jimin’s behaviour, but he implores Yoongi to think seriously about what Jimin has trusted him with and think about it he does with the information he’s been given....

...Once he’s back home, alone in bed, it’s all he can think about. Thinking about Jimin, no doubt out by now, working, dealing drugs, how could he? But also, how could he not? Jimin was alone, no dad, sick mother, not old enough to legally work. Yoongi had questioned Taehyung why Jimin wasn’t on the radar of social services, getting help from the authorities, but Taehyung had just shaken his head, telling him that was Jimin’s story to tell if he wanted to. And Yoongi didn’t know, but from the look on Taehyung’s face, something had gone down there too. How many more secrets did Jimin have?...

...Jimin was soft, an angel, pale pink hair, pastel colours and big puppy dog eyes. But Yoongi was beginning to realise that Jimin was dealing with far more than anyone should have to deal with in a lifetime, never mind at such a young age. Jimin was scared and guarded, but with good reason, and he had tried to be honest with Yoongi, and Yoongi had run out on him....

...Jimin said he was an asshole, but maybe Yoongi was too, and maybe it’s time he tried to let Jimin in the way Jimin was trying to let him in....

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***