Jungkook found Jimin at the place he feared he'd be.

The pier.

The pier on the beach was at least a few stories high and went out into the ocean. It was extremely dangerous to jump off, the crashes of the waves had killed people before, so seeing Jimin so close to the ledge sent Jungkook sprinting and screaming in hopes the elder would hear him.

"Jimin!!!"

"Park Jimin, please!!"

Unfortunately the place was deserted which made everything so much worse. There were no strangers to help stop him or police personnel nearby.

It was just him, Jimin, and the ocean.

"JIMIN!!!"

The elder finally turned his head. Jungkook was climbing the many stairs up to the boardwalk.

"Jungkook?" Jimin asked as his eyes wandered the area, trying to find the boy. The waves were so loud and the wind was strong, but he hoped he hadn't heard it wrong.

"Baby, I'm here!!" Jungkook somehow screamed out through his burning lungs as he climbed the last step. His chest heaved as he looked towards Jimin. The elder was wearing a thin oversized sweater and jeans, but there were tears streaming down his face as well.

Jungkook ran so fast towards Jimin all he could hear was the blood pounding in his ears and his mind was set on getting Jimin away from that ledge. He was backing up closer to falling with each step Jungkook took.

Jungkook stopped a few feet away from him.

"Jimin baby, please get away from there."

Jimin shook his head vigorously and met Jungkook's eyes with a glare. He was visibly shaking from his clothes being soaked by the spray of the waves. The sight broke Jungkook's heart.

"Jiminie." Jungkook croaked out as tears made their way onto his cheeks too. He wanted nothing more than to wrap himself and Jimin in a cozy blanket and cuddle back home in Seoul.

"Jungkook, don't. Just stop. Please don't come near me."

"Jiminie, please can we talk this out?" Jungkook practically begged as he inched slightly closer to Jimin. He reached out a shaky hand towards him which Jimin looked at and Jungkook could practically hear him thinking about taking it.

"Jimin please. I-I love you."

A sob wracked through Jimin's body at those three simple words.

"I love you too, Jungkook. A-and after my parents died..." Jimin trailed off as he collapsed to his knees, a new wave of sobs hitting him. Jungkook dropped down too just as the first raindrops began to fall. He crawled towards Jimin, but the elder put his hand up to stop him. It was a weak attempt, but Jungkook stopped anyway when Jimin moved his leg off the ledge.

"Jimin!"

He looked up at Jungkook with so much pain in his eyes.

"Jungkook, when my parents died...you were all I had left. And you tried so hard to be there for me, but I-I shut you out. And I'm so, so sorry. I understood why you hated me. I mean who wouldn't? We've known each other since we were basically toddlers and yet I shut you out like that. I guess I just expected you to never...give up on me?"

Jungkook didn't dare move a muscle. He breathed in each word as if they were his lifeline.

"How stupid of me really," a bitter chuckle left Jimin's lips, sending a pang through Jungkook's heart at the same time. "I wasn't worth holding onto for all those years. I'm sure you moved on. And I was right. Then you did that whole dare...and that hurt like hell, Jungkook."

Jimin let out a shaky breath as silent tears ran down Jungkook's face.

"But I deserved it."

That's when Jimin pushed himself off the ledge,

and Jungkook leaped towards it too.

☆ ☆ ☆

"Come on Jiminie, you don't need to do this."

"But you did it!" Jimin shouted in protest as he stood at the edge of the diving board. Jungkook sighed and shook his head. Why did his hyung have to be so stubborn.

"I wanna be brave like you Jungkookie!"

"You're already so brave hyung, so brave. You don't swim well, you shouldn't do that Jiminie! Why don't we just go on the lazy river or something?"

"I'm gonna do it Kookie!"

Jungkook was so nervous for his Jiminie. He just wanted him to be safe.

"A-alright hyung. I'll be here to catch you okay? Just jump towards me!"

"Okay Kookie!!"

Jungkook watched as Jimin took a few deep breaths. He could tell he was nervous by the slight shake of his legs. Jimin inched towards the ledge of the board. Jungkook swears he heard something along the lines of "you've got this Park Jimin" leave his mouth which made Jungkook giggle.

Jimin took a couple little jumps just as Jungkook had before launching into the air towards the younger. He let out a little victory cry as he landed directly on Jungkook. The two went underwater, but Jungkook pulled them up and towards the steps out of the diving pool.

"Oh my gosh Jungkookie!! Did you see me?!! Did I look awesome?!! I felt like a superhero!!"

Jungkook smiled to himself before wrapping him and Jimin up in their jumbo beach towel.

"Yes hyung you looked awesome. You always do."

☆ ☆ ☆

Jungkook opened his eyes as he hit the water with a loud smack that hurt everything inside his body. He accidentally opened his mouth and felt the burn of saltwater enter his lungs as the waves pulled him violently towards the shore.

But he was still alive.

Which meant Jimin might be too.

He couldn't keep his eyes open any longer, so he shut them tight and tried to feel for the shore despite the painful push and pull of the waves.

He's not sure how he held his breath for so long, but he was grateful. He guessed it was pure adrenaline and the clawing need to find Jimin safe and sound.

When he felt his body hit the sand he opened his eyes again. He was maybe a few meters from the shore, so he fought the rest of the way there. He couldn't see Jimin, but he hoped he had already made it to the sand.

Soon the tide pulled him fully out of the water and he could breathe again. He laid there for a couple minutes catching his breath and blinking the blurriness from his eyes. It was full out pouring now which made everything a bit worse.

He sat up when he saw something wash up on the beach near the pier again. His vision was still blurry, but it was definitely a person.

"Jimin." He choked out as he tried to stumble forwards. The pain he felt when he tried to stand was the worst pain in his life he was convinced, so he reverted to crawling instead.

It seemed to take years, but he eventually made it close enough to identify that it was definitely Jimin.

"Jimin." He choked out again and got no response.

Upon getting closer he saw the boy was extremely disheveled with an arm bent in a way it should never bend and slightly purple lips.

"Fuck."

Jungkook used what little strength he had to pull Jimin towards him. He leaned down to hear he was still breathing extremely shallowly, so he had to act quickly.

With shaky limbs he positioned himself over Jimin as new tears formed in his eyes. He was happy he learned CPR at some point for a babysitting gig.

He pushed on Jimin's chest with as much force as he could muster without hurting the elder.

"Come on Jiminie." He grumbled, but when he got no response he moved down to plug his nose and give him mouth to mouth CPR.

Jimin's smile and laugh flashed in his mind as he put every ounce of his being into keeping him alive.

After a bit he pulled away and stared at Jimin's face for signs that it was working.

"Jiminie please. I can't lose you. I love you so much baby, please."

He went back to pushing on his chest for a couple minutes before doing mouth to mouth again.

Nothing was working and his phone was nowhere to be seen.

When his strength began to leave him and his lungs began to burn he collapsed on top of Jimin's chest and cried so loudly. Everything hurt so deeply. His bones, and head, and soul. He's incomplete without the man beneath him.

"Please Jiminie. Please Jiminie. Please Jiminie."

He chanted that mantra under his breath until even his whispers became hoarse.

His body shook from the cold and the silent sobs that still came out of him so much that he didn't notice the chest beginning to steadily rise and fall beneath him.

"Jungkookie."

Jungkook had never sat up so fast in his life.

"Jimin?"

He looked down to study his face to make sure he wasn't just hearing things, and sure enough one eye cracked open and a groan left the man's lips.

"Oh my god Jimin..." Jungkook trailed off as a breathy laugh and sigh of relief left his lips. Jimin opened both eyes hesitantly and met Jungkook's teary gaze.

"Remind me never to jump off that again." Jimin said in a crackly voice and Jungkook let out a guttural laugh that turned quickly into a cough.

"I fucking hate you Park Jimin." He whispered as he leaned down and pecked Jimin's forehead. The latter scrunched his face up in response, but smiled nonetheless.

"I love you too, Jeon Jungkook."

☆ ☆ ☆

A/N: yall this chapter killed me
PS: that whole pool shit was a flashback to when they were younger kids btw