Taehyung's phone buzzed and he ignored it for the 50th time as he groaned while tossing and a bottle of liquor fell from his bed to crash in bits. The sun was up, he squinted his bulging eyes and his face indignant as he looked at Namjoon's name on the phone. He felt like a total failure and a loser. Namjoon had hopes that he could cleave through this turmoil but he failed his cousin who always that trust in him.

Hot tears burned in his eyes and he let them roll out. A shaky and painful guttural groan left his mouth. What was he doing? His heart was pounding like it was constantly hit by a sledgehammer just like a pendulum. It was haywire and his thoughts were drowning in shame and pain. 

"Jungkook," his lips were repeating the name over and over again and anger kept building inside for Jimin. His fists were closed into a pale shade of white. 

The pessimism in his mind grew overwhelmingly that he sat straight against the wall, closed his ears, and screamed. The judging voices in his head grew louder. "Please make it stop." He said wearily, all drained of energy, and his eyes turned to the phone's screen again.

Like a scared kid who has just entered into the house after running for his life from the outside world, he cowered himself into the corner of the bed and picked the call, heart withering away at the thought that his cousin will vanquish him. Just as he answered, a soothing voice spoke, "Taehyung-ah, Aish I thought you would not pick today too. I wanted to tell you that I am coming there tomorrow."

Taehyung did not say anything and kept sniffling. "You know where am I? In your bar. We used to drink here a lot. Remember your first drink?"

"Whiskey on the rocks." Taehyung's lips slipped the words slowly. He stopped crying as he listened intently.

"Yes, whiskey on the rocks. You could not walk by yourself and I had to carry you to your room." Namjoon laughed and Taehyung chuckled softly too.

After a moment of laughing and dipping into nostalgia, Namjoon just sighed. "I know it is tough and I understand you are hurt right now. But trust me, it will be okay. It will all be gone. Just hold on a little longer and you don't have to be alone anymore. I am coming."

Taehyung disconnected the call as fresh tears hit his eyes. Why was not Namjoon giving up on him when he himself had? He brought the pillow to his chest and cried silently in it. There was no one to barge in his room and drag him away to party or even to stay and talk. He missed Jimin and how they spent time before everything was ruined. He missed his friends and above all, he missed his Namjoon Hyung. 

"But you are coming tomorrow," Taehyung suddenly wiped his tears and shoved the pillow to the bed. "You are coming." A smile spread across his face and he jumped down. 

It was the happiness that found him in a long time, giving him a serotonin boost that was so strong that it put arrest to his pain for a moment. With new determination, he looked around, and for the first time in a week, he knew he could not disappoint Namjoon anymore. 

He ran to the kitchen and fetched a big trash bag. Soon, he was collecting all the empty liquor bottles, food delivery boxes, and a lot of filthy tissues from the ground. After picking the trash, he cleaned the place. At first, he did not know how vacuum cleaners worked but it wasn't difficult than driving a car, so he figured. 

The place was clean but there was still an empty kitchen to deal with. He needed to go grocery shopping. He had not done it ever before so he sat down for a moment and realized he also needed to change the sheets. The thought of sheets brought him to towels, he needed to clean the bathroom too and change towels. Everything that came to his mind like a whooshing dart, he made a list. All set to go out there and come back victoriously. The only thing he could not figure out was what should he bring for the kitchen. 

**

Jungkook was back at his studies when it was his time to just hang around the house and ask Jimin many questions, including why don't you let me help and not limited to what is in that room? Jimin kept looking at him with oblique eyes. "Are you sure you are okay, Jungkook?" The man asked from the kitchen as he looked towards the living room where the boy sat at his study table.

"Mhm," Jungkook hummed and acted as if he was immersed in the book but that wasn't the case. 

Jimin sighed before wiping his hands in the clothe and walked over to the boy. "Do you need my help?" He asked as he sat on the chair after dragging it near the table. 

"I am good. Why don't you go and cook? You don't let me help you anyhow. I will study on my own." The boy replied curtly without looking up.

Jimin snatched the book from Jungkook's hand and shoved it away. "Talk to me. I won't know what is wrong to fix it. You have to tell me, I cannot figure it out on my own." Jimin asked sternly. 

"I am fine, why don't you trust me? I don't know why you think that I am not." Jungkook huffed in annoyance. 

"You were reading the game manual, Jungkook." Jimin raised his brow and Jungkook's eyes fluttered as he got up to bolt but the former held onto his wrist to hold him back. "I am sorry baby, but you have to talk to me. I won't let you go unless you tell me what is wrong." His voice turned gentler and yet, it remained authoritative.  

The gullible boy had no clue how to form a sentence. He did not want to sound stupid for the first time expressing his feelings. He took in a shaky breath. "Why did you lock me out when she was checking up on you?" he asked, his face was desolate and eyes as innocent as ever but there was pain in them. 

Jimin wanted to take this opportunity and tease the boy but he held back. He knew he had to give assurance that he belonged to him and not to any doctor. He needed to make him feel secure. "I am sorry." Though he could give a speech to Jungkook, he decided to just apologize. 

Jungkook was now dumbfounded. What was the convention here? To say that he accepted the apology, just like that, or to carry on and ignore the fact that he missed Jimin even though the man was right in front of him. Jimin slowly got up and moved to the comfortable couch before letting Jungkook sit on his lap to snuggle.

"Don't worry about it." The boy shook his head and Jimin held his chin up to make eye contact.

"That's it? That's the best you can do?" He teased, a playful and teasing grin already forming on his lips. 

"Jimiiiiin~" The boy whined and the grin turned to a fond smile. Jimin hugged the boy tighter and put his head on his shoulders. Jungkook's heart raced on the little action. His hand quickly raised up to play with Jimin's hair who closed his eyes and kept inhaling the baby talcum powder fragrance from him.  

"Do you want to go out, doll? It's been a week since we arrived in Jiangyin, you must feel like you are stuck here." Jimin asked in his soothing rasp.

Jungkook shook his head and also realized that Jimin never told him before where they were. Perhaps Jimin did not think he could keep it a secret. Nonetheless, he did not mind. His voice was not willing to come out in the moment of close proximity, but he had to speak. "I am fine... I don't get bored. You made sure of it that I would not." Jungkook did not stop playing with Jimin's hair that only caused the older to relax.

Jimin chuckled softly after he hummed and Jungkook noticed that the man has fallen asleep a few moments later. In honesty, this was the first time he had seen Jimin sleep. The older always went to bed after him and also woke up before him. Never before he slept during the day. 

The boy smiled and very carefully, he let Jimin down on the couch. He brought a blanket to cover his boyfriend's body in and then he sat down on the floor, right across Jimin's face, staring at him. Jungkook knew his man was ethereal and he has seen him so many times before but right now, his heart was filled with so much love to give Jimin and his innocence. He leaned in slowly and placed an extremely gentle feather-light kiss on his lips.