"ah, you shouldn't help clean up! you're our guest, jimin-ah!" jihyo called from where she stood at the sink. jimin shot her a shy smile and waved the complaint off, grabbing plates and stacking them, piling silverware on top. his tongue unconsciously poked out from between his lips as he focused on carrying the dishes into the kitchen without dropping them. "jungkook or sungjin can-"
"i want to!" jimin exclaims, carefully sitting the porcelain plates onto the counter. he leans against it, fingers drumming lightly and soundlessly against the marble as he spoke to jungkook's mom. "i'd feel guilty if i left you to clean up all alone. think of this as a way of saying thank you for breakfast."
jungkook's mom clutched her heart dramatically, pretending to have fainted. "why is my youngest son's friend so sweet? ah, your mom must love you so much. so sweet, so well-mannered."
jimin let the comment regarding his mom fly over his head without hesitation, keeping a bright smile on his face as the praises were repeated in his mind. he let out a shy giggle, shuffling his feet. "what do you want me to do? i can sweep, mop, do the dishes, wash laundry-"
a soapy wash cloth is shoved into jimin's hands followed by a chuckle from jihyo. "just wash off the table. go hang out with the boys when you're done. no arguments, okay? mom's rules."
jimin pouted but agreed anyways, walking quickly over to the table and wiping away any stray crumbs or sticky syrup spots. he could hear jungkook and his brother talking quietly in the living room, as well as the soft humming coming from their mom as she washed dishes. the blonde sighed and looked at the table, hoping to find at least something he'd missed. to his disappointment, he didn't, so he fixed the chairs before returning the cloth.
"hey hyung," jimin hears jungkook call out the moment he appears in the living room. jungkook is sitting curled up on the couch, whilst sungjin was stretched across the other, lazily flipping through different channels. "come sit with me! i'm cold."
the older felt a small smile appear across his lips as he made his way over, mumbling a quick apology to sungjin for walking in front of the tv. he sits next to jungkook, automatically curling into the younger's side. sungjin turns his head to look at them, raising an eyebrow. "you two look cute like that."
"shut up, hyung!" jungkook whines, wrapping an arm around jimin's slim shoulders and pulling his close. a small blush spread over the brunette's cheeks, making jimin laugh and poke at the younger. jungkook sighed and leaned down to whisper to jimin, his shy smile gone. "jackson texted your phone earlier. he said it was important."
◄
jimin gave jungkook a small smile and wave as he shut the car door, stuffing his hands in the pocket of jungkook's hoodie as he walked quickly to the club, his head low. although jimin seemed calm and collected, his heart was racing and he felt as if his throat was closing up. his teeth pulled at his plump bottom lip mindlessly, making it appear slightly red and swollen. his shoulders were tense as he walked through tease, shoving past people roughly and making his way toward jackson's office.
"there you are," yoongi breathlessly calls out, appearing from the hallway jimin was about to enter. he practically reeked of worry; bags under his eyes and lips set into a soft frown. the older wrapped the small boy into a tight hug, "shit, i was so worried about you. where were you, min?"
jimin smiles at yoongi and chuckles, "i was with jungkook. i was okay."
"you better have been," yoongi mutters under his breath and looks over his shoulder as he releases jimin from his grip. he sighs and squeezes jimin's shoulder, "jackson is pissed. he told me what happened, jimin-"
jimin sighed and the smile on his lips dropped, a teasing tone to his voice. "save your father lectures for daehyun."
yoongi rolled his eyes, lips unknowingly curling up at the mention of his his unborn son. he threw an arm over jimin's shoulders and began walking toward jackson's office, where jimin would get yelled at ruthlessly and the most yoongi would be able to do would be flinch and bite back his anger as jimin tried not to cry in his arms.
◄
"where the fuck have you been?" the smell of cigarettes and weed was strong in the house, jimin noticed, as he walked in. he refrained from coughing or letting a comment slip from his lips about it, hands grasping the wad of money in his hands tightly as he walked to his drunken mom. the teenager's head was ducked low, as if ashamed of something. and he was, really. "'prolly been fucking people like the slut you are. now where's my money, bitch?"
the blonde ignored the numerous stings in his heart as he shakily and wordlessly handed the money to her; nearly five thousand dollars. it was truly sad, jimin and his mom could be living the life right now with the money jimin earns. but instead, the blonde is forced to live with a alcoholic, abusive, druggie he calls mom.
"i was at a friend's." jimin starts, wincing at the glare his mom shoots him. "i got out of work late so i called him..."
the last part was a lie, but it didn't matter whether it was or if it was a truth. either way, his mom raised a bottle of mostly gone liquor to her lips as she spoke, shooting down her son. "like hell you've got friends. you're a stripper, jimin-ah! no one actually likes you, they all pity you; lust after you. you're only good for shaking your fat ass ridiculously on a pole!" she chuckled lowly, "you're disgusting, jimin. i truly don't know how i gave birth to such a thing."
the eighteen year old stayed silent, not daring to utter a word. he swallowed thickly and looked at his feet. the smell of alcohol intensified as his mom walked closer, stumbling and barely awake as she did so. jimin shyly looked up, his shoulders slouched and eyes dull as she continued to speak. her bony fingers wrapped tightly around his throat, cutting off his airway. "you're worthless. i couldn't care less if you were to die. nobody would. remember that, slut."
with that, she released his throat and walked away, leaving jimin in the living room alone. there, he quietly rubbed his bruising skin and choked back tears.
