Long chapter~

The inside of the house wasn't much better than the outside. Newspaper pages were scattered here and there, flies zooming past your face and chipped furniture adorned the first level. The smoke in the house was unbearable, worse than when the two teenagers met. Red stains decorated the wall for reasons Jungkook didn't want to think about. It's probably spilled wine... One could only hope. "You want some tea? We probably have some left. Either that or beer."

"Oh no thank y-"

"Jimin put the kettle on."

"Yes sir." The blond disappears into the kitchen area while the other two sit on the stained plush couch.

"Jimin is the only one that likes tea, I can't stand the stuff." He finds a random bottle on the table next to him and sips from it. "Not strong enough."

Jungkook didn't know what to say to the obviously drunk man. Should he try to warm up to him? Jimin doesn't like him, that's for sure. "Ow!" Jimin shouts from the kitchen, and the younger practically sprints towards him.

"What happened?" The smaller was bent over, mouth clamped shut to prevent further screams.

"N-Nothing." He was trying so hard not to cry. Not like this, not in front of Jungkook. "I just forgot that the table cloth had a hole in it and I burned myself."

The taller had to think quick before any permanent damage happened to Jimin's small hands. "Do you have mustard?"

"Mustard? What's that gonna do?"

Jungkook knew all about small household items that could help with different injuries. He needed to since he spent most of his life at home. "Mustard for your burn so you don't get a blister." Jimin nodded, pretending to understand. He didn't understand the mechanics behind it but he'll believe his friend. He didn't have another choice. "I mean one of us could pee on it but I doubt you'll like it."

Before Jimin had a chance to react, the older man stumbled into the tiled room. "Did you hurt yourself again? Fucking idiot." Jungkook chooses to ignore the individual while he spreads mustard on Jimin's finger. "You a farm boy?"

"More or less." How could that man see Jimin is hurt and not care?

"I knew it. You looked like a goodie two shoes from the start. You really know how to pick 'em Cricket."

"Cricket?"

"It's my nickname for the little vermin. He's as helpless as an insect, easy to squish." Jungkook almost punches him right there.

"Well... the good thing about crickets is that they sing beautifully. Especially at night." Jimin smiles for the first time that night. "Do you like to sing Jimin?"

"Can't get him to shut up." Again his smile fades and Jungkook reaches out, grabing onto his uninjured hand.

"I love to sing too! We should do it together some time..." Jimin appears as though he didn't hear Jungkook, his attention still on their interlocked hands.

"Oh look, you've stunned him. You must have a lot of control over him." Jimin blushes, pulling his hand back.

"I-I'm not stunned, I was just thinking about the songs we could sing toge-"

"Did you just talk back to me?" Jimin shakes his head repeatedly. "I swear to god I didn't raise you to become a little brat!" He shatters the empty bottle against the side of the kitchen table. "Apologize!"

"I'm sorry." Jimin was crying profusely now.

"Louder!"

Jungkook couldn't take it anymore. "Alright that's enough!" Both Park's looked over at him in shock. "Now... He said sorry so you shouldn't be so harsh on him."

The older man stands up and glares at Jungkook. The redness in his eyes was enough to scare the uninvited guest. "I did not invite you to my home out of the goodness in my heart, just so you could disrespect me in my own house! Leave!" The younger was more terrified than he's ever been in his entire life. "Now!"

"Jimin." The blond looked up through his silent tears. "Come with me." He stands up, running to his side. He could never leave him again, knowing the environment he lives in.

"Jimin! So help me god if you leave now, you will never come back!"

The blond almost laughs in his face. Come back? Why would he? Both teens run out of the door, jumping into the younger's car. Glass could be heard breaking on both sides. The drunk was throwing his beer bottles at them and missing most of the time. They had to get out of there, fast. "Please hurry up." Jungkook nodded, turning the key in the ignition. He didn't need to be told twice.

¤¤¤

The ride was silent. More or less. Jimin couldn't control his sobs on the way to Jungkook's house. He curled up into a little ball, hiding his tear stained face behind his knees. Jungkook felt his heart shrink at the sight. He couldn't believe that Jimin- his sweet, incomprehensible, funny, beautiful Jimin- had to deal with this every night.

When his grandmother talked about the sweet kid who helped in their family store every day, he assumed the kid didn't have a life. But when he found out it was Jimin, it didn't make any sense. Jimin had tons of people that wanted to hang out with him and always had parties or gatherings that he was invited to. It only now clicked that he hated being home. And Jungkook doesn't blame him for one second. If he stayed back there, the old man would regret everything he did to Jimin. He would make sure of it. "Jungkook."

The smaller finally calmed down, his face still splotchy, eyes puffier than usual. "Yeah? What's up?"

"Your knuckles..." The small index finger pointed at his hands on the steering wheel, white from the pressure he gripped with.

"Ah... that." He loosened up, focusing on the red light in front of them.

"Please stop thinking about it, it's embarrassing enough." He looks out of the rain stained glass, pouting.

"Embarrassing? You shouldn't be embarrassed, you should be aggravated! You should be willing to go to court and sue his ass, report him to the police! Not embarrassed, are you fucking kidding me? God I wish I could just..." But the younger had no idea what he could do. All these thoughts ran through his head, his primal instincts begging to complete them.

"I'm sorry I put you through this." He barely whispered but Jungkook heard it.

"Sorry? First of all Jimin, I put myself in that position. Second, saying sorry implies you were somehow responsible. You didn't cause any of that. It wasn't your fault." It was obvious the words struck a chord with the blond since he immediately started crying again. "Why are you crying?"

Jimin hated feeling this way. What he hated even more was that he showed his vulnerable side in front of someone he cared about. Every breath felt too hard of a task to accomplish. His tears demanded to be shed, his gasps for air became more painful with every second that passed. Yes he was free from his father now but he knew it wouldn't last. He knew he could track him, find him, hurt him and maybe even kill him. For now, he had to focus on controlling his own feelings. His cries kept the upper hand however, the ache in his chest growing. He was never allowed to cry in the house or around the older man. Jimin figured this was his body's way of unloading all of the past emotional turmoil he kept hidden. So no matter how much he tried to stop, he didn't. He couldn't.

Ten minutes passed before Jimin was calm enough to respond. He was so out of it, he didn't notice they were parked in a drive way much nicer than his neighborhood. "I- I can't stop crying." Jungkook's hand soothed over his friend's shoulder.

"You don't have to." He was right. Jimin didn't have to. But he felt such a relief in that aspect that he could if he wanted. It's almost as if he opened a passageway in a damn and he he doesn't have any idea of how to moderate it. He was a little bit afraid that it would overwhelm him, or Jungkook. Maybe he found him annoying now.

"N-No... I should stop... It's over now." To that, the younger had no answer. His belief was that it was never over until he moved on, which wasn't the case here. "Thank you Jungkook."

"For what?"

Jimin laughed. "For what?" He repeated. "You're dumb."

Finally Jimin laughed. It was a little coarse from the sobs but it was such a beautiful sound compared to the rest of their afternoon. It was a win in Jungkook's opinion and he decided now was the best time to exit the car. "Let's go. My mom's not home right now so..."

"Really? It's kinda late..."

The taller just shrugs. "Yeah, she's a surgeon so she has long shifts."

Neither spoke until they entered the house, the open space an inviting contrast to Jimin's hell hole. It was Jimin's stomach that interrupted the comfortable silence, neither had food in their stomachs because of the whole ordeal. Jungkook found it funny when Jimin tried to cover his blushing cheeks. In fact, he laughed the entire time he tried to pry the blond's small fingers off of his squishy face. "Stop it!" He squeaked in between his giggles. But the taller didn't want to stop, he liked making the small boy happy. So what if he couldn't stop touching the smaller's chubby face?

The younger sticks his tounge out to taunt him, picking him up and positioning Jimin's waist on his right shoulder. "Let's eat if you're so hungry!" He ran to the kitchen, enduring the small fist banging against his back.

"Put me down you big oaf!" Their laughter harmonized into a melodic symphony, a tune neither wanted to forget. Of course Jungkook didn't want to let him go, he didn't want to stop holding him up with every excuse to keep his hands exactly where they are. So he was a little bit disappointed when he put Jimin's small frame on the marble countertop island. Jimin was all smiles, probably not even realizing that Jungkook was subtly rubbing his thumbs in small circles across his thighs. Jimin was like a magnet his body was naturally attached to. "What are you thinking about?"

The taller was pulled out of his thought process, focusing on the task at hand. Food. "What do you wanna eat?"

"Anything~" Who was he to be picky? Jungkook helped him escape from the one place he thought he could never break free from.

"Oh, anything?" The taller's eyebrow spiked up, smirking while he looks through the cupboards.

"Not anything! I take it back!" Jimin hopped off the counter, cheeks matching the bowl of tomatoes. "I'll... look for myself."

"Nonsense, I want to cook for you." It was as if he just ate a fresh baked cookie. Jungkook's true smiles warmed him up from the strands of hair on Jimin's head to the tips of his toes.

"Really?" But the feeling vanished. "No one's ever cooked for me before..." With the mood souring, Jungkook had to quickly think of a way to make him into that bundle of joy from earlier.

"Let's cook together and make it like a contest! I'll be Gordan Ramsey!"

"No fair!"

"It's plenty fair! I called it first.~"

Jimin sticks out his tounge, reddening Jungkook's cheeks.

"Just... pick out some ingredients!"

"Fine." Arms crossed with a heavy pout on his lips, he obeyed. But he wasn't prepared for what this night would bring him.

JIMINIE CRICKET

RIP MY BIO LECTURE EXAMMM

I don't know if you guys read my other books or not but I'm trying a new writing style, I hope you like it  :/