Work Text:
Namjoon was a bit of a mystery to Jimin to begin with. Their friend groups had merged slowly, all of them circling around the fine arts building in college until they were in their general ed classes together. Except for Namjoon who had fast tracked and was already on his Master’s while they were finishing their Bachelor’s.
Part and parcel of fine arts living was that everyone ended up congregating. The fine arts students dragged the drama students in to model, and the dance students bugged the production students into letting them use their beats. It was natural. Yoongi was a production student, and Namjoon came as a two for one deal.
Namjoon though. Namjoon was taller than Jimin by a head, a bit broad from working out with Jungkook, the picture of a confident alpha in so many ways. Jimin was curious about him from a physical standpoint but honestly predisposed to ignore him. He assumed that Namjoon would be like so many other alphas: think Jimin was a delicate little thing because he danced contemporary ballet, was an omega, and (grudgingly) pretty short.
He was proven wrong when they decided to celebrate their graduation by going to a bar.
Jimin was having fun, dancing with Jungkook and Taehyung and migrating between the dance floor and the table Namjoon was sitting at. Jimin took a break from dancing and walked past Seokjin and Yoongi dancing close together. He cheered at them, making Yoongi give him a middle finger and a blush as Seokjin just preened a bit.
Back at the table, Namjoon was looking… uncomfortable. This wasn’t entirely unusual for Namjoon, if Jimin was honest. He had a very easy going nature that people tended to see as a glowing welcome sign. A woman in a short black dress was pressed up against him, messing around with the lip of the cup Namjoon’s drink was in.
Jimin moved a bit on instinct, going to sling his arms around Namjoon’s neck and smile right at the face of the woman hanging off of him.
“Oh, who’s this?” he asked, pressing his cheek against Namjoon’s.
“Uh… they… She…” Namjoon stammered, awkward and obviously overthinking. The woman sneered at Jimin a little bit. It made her pretty face look very ugly.
“Just talking to him. Who are you?” She frowned at Jimin. “His little pet?”
Jimin bristled almost instantly and inhaled to start going off on her, but before he got the chance, Namjoon took the woman’s shoulders in his hands and made sure there was space.
“Oh absolutely not. I was trying to be nice even though you made me pretty uncomfortable, but that’s just flat out disgusting.” Namjoon scoffed with derision. Jimin felt a jolt of surprise at Namjoon that melted into pride and a little bit of smugness. He couldn’t help the grin that spread across his face as she gaped and then blanched in horror. She snatched her purse and stalked off in a huff.
“Well, looks like I didn’t need to rescue you after all.” Jimin grinned and plopped down in the seat next to him. Namjoon turned to him with a frown.
“I’m sorry you got insulted like that. I didn’t think people really talked like that anymore.”
“Usually they don’t. It’s probably not even because I’m omega.” He scoffed a bit, waving his hand as if to wave off the idea of it.
“I always thought it was stupid that people try to assume someone’s gender based on their appearance or attitude. People assume Jungkook is an alpha because of some arbitrary set of stereotypes.” Namjoon scoffed and shook his head. Jimin felt himself fall just a little in love.
“I can’t tell you how many people assume I’m delicate because I’m a ballet dancer, too.” he snorts.
“You literally pick up your partner with one hand. I saw it. You just…” Namjoon gestured with his arm over his head and Jimin cracked up laughing “Just, right up there. Made it look so easy! I would have definitely broken my legs. And their legs. Maybe the mirror.” He snorted.
“You can’t be that bad!” Jimin protested around his laugh.
“It’s really bad. I just break stuff. Yoongi and Hobi call me the god of destruction.” Namjoon laughed and then almost knocked over his drink trying to pick it up.
“Oh, I see. Probably better that you don’t pick people up over your head while you dance, then.” He couldn’t help the giggle as he helped Namjoon right his glass.
“Definitely. I can dance a little but not like that. Definitely not for a major.”
“I don’t think I know what your major actually is? Are you in music production with Yoongi-hyung?”
“That’s my minor. I technically have enough English and language arts for a second minor, but my major is actually a double major of gender studies and philosophy so they wouldn't let me have two minors,” he admitted, looking a little shy, but his dimples pushed into his cheeks a little bit.
“Holy shit.” Jimin stared at him, feeling his eyes go wide. “I knew you were smart, but I didn’t realize you were that smart!”
“It’s not about being smart, it’s just about things that are interesting to me. I think philosophy and music are intrinsically tied together. You make music about your philosophy and perspective on life, afterall.”
And really, how could Jimin's heart stand a chance against that?
*** *** ***
They graduated college and started finding apartments, pairing (or grouping) up. Yoongi and Namjoon had been friends even longer than Taehyung and Jimin, so they moved in with their mutual friend Donghyuk.
Taehyung, Jungkook, and Hoseok moved into a two bedroom place together, thinking they would have Taehyung and Hoseok share. It ended up with one master bedroom and a king sized bed for all three of them with the second bedroom being turned into an art/music studio.
Jimin and Seokjin were both the odd ones out, with Jimin getting a cozy apartment close to his dance studio and Seokjin taking the lease from one of his parent’s friends for a steal closer to where he started working as a manager at a theater downtown.
Jimin tended to float from apartment to apartment while his own remained a cozy spot to decompress. He spent the most time with Namjoon though. The way Namjoon saw the world was still endlessly fascinating. He wrote lyrics based on the smallest of ideas, once getting the thought for an entire song because he saw a leaf drift down while they were walking.
He knew so many things but would forget to dry off his back properly when he got out of the shower because he had an idea he had to write down right away.
His room was full of incongruous things, much like Namjoon himself. Shelves lined the walls with collectible figurines and his window sills were covered in plants and a little bonsai tree that Namjoon liked to carry around with him sometimes when he felt stressed.
Jimin was horribly endeared.
It took almost a ridiculously long time for him to catch on that Namjoon was also horribly endeared of him. He had a terrible day at work, where a set of parents at the dance studio he taught at had torn him apart verbally, and was texting Namjoon for cheer up pictures. Namjoon had an entire folder dedicated to tiny African rain frogs and would gleefully share them when Jimin needed a pick-me-up.
What he got instead was Namjoon showing up at Jimin’s apartment, arms laden with bags of take out and a bottle of wine.
It took everything in him not to break down crying. Instead he let Namjoon in, helped him set the bags down on the table, and then reached up and cupped his face.
“Please tell me you’re here with me,” he asked, searching Namjoon’s face as it flushed pink, and his mouth dropped open a little bit. He nodded a little and leaned down, capturing Jimin’s own mouth in a kiss. Jimin felt it all the way down to his toes.
The food ended up going cold.
*** ** ***
The thing is, Jimin knows he is a little bit clingy. He defies anyone to blame him.
He’s at Namjoon, Donghyuk, and Yoongi’s apartment for a movie night a short while into their relationship. He’s a bit all over Namjoon, snuggling into his side and rubbing his nose into Namjoon’s neck and he knows, alright? He knows he’s being a little annoying. But he can’t help it.
Namjoon gave him more confidence to just be himself. He could laugh in an ugly way or cry or rant about his day or cling like a koala, and Namjoon never made him feel like he was wrong for it. He tried to be encouraging to Namjoon too, but it was honestly really easy. Namjoon was easy to love.
Even though Namjoon wasn’t normally a very touchy person, he always dimpled fondly at Jimin whenever he got into clingy mode and started tugging on his hair, hanging off the alpha’s shoulders or kissing his smile a million times.
“Joon-ah! Come help me get this stuff!” Yoongi called from the doorway and Jimin sighed, clinging to Namjoon’s hand.
“No! Grow extra arms and carry it yourself!” Jimin hollered back while clinging to his arm a little tighter, making Namjoon chuckle a bit.
“It’s two seconds, I’ll be right back.” He poked Jimin on the nose, laughing when Jimin went cross-eyed, and then slid out of his embrace to go help Yoongi carry in the food he had just ordered.
“You know he hates that shit, right?” Donghyuk had said, narrowly. “I’m not trying to be rude, but he really hates when people are too clingy. You should back off or he’s gonna get sick of it. It’s like that omega stereotype.”
Jimin felt a lump sink slowly into his throat. His skin went hot and then cold and prickly, and he felt an embarrassing rush of tears that he took a few deep breaths to abate. It was like Donghyuk had looked right into his head and saw his worst fear about his relationship and then said it outloud.
“Ah, Jimin-ah, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you feel bad.” Donghyuk did seem truly abashed, rubbing the back of his neck. Donghyuk also had a bad habit of being overly blunt, saying things he meant more kindly in a way that made them sound very cruel. Jimin wasn’t sure how much he actually liked Donghyuk because of that. “I mean. Namjoon will totally say something if it bugs him; I shouldn’t butt in.”
Jimin shrugged a bit, feeling a little ridiculous for being upset while Donghyuk was trying to be helpful, if unasked for. Jimin knew he could be clingy. He worried about it on his own often enough that it didn’t come as a surprise, even if it hurt to hear out loud. Even their friends would complain when Jimin started getting clingy to them, aside from Taehyung who made it a personal challenge to try and be more of a clingy octopus than Jimin was.
“Ah, it’s all good.” Jimin forced a small smile and then waved his hand as if to shoo away the conversation. But when Namjoon and Yoongi came back into the room, he found himself leaving a little bit of space between himself and Namjoon.
Just a little.
**** *** *****
Jimin tried not to be in his head about it. He really did.
He always looked forward to his time with Namjoon. Their conversations were still always so interesting, flows of texts where they would share about their day or something they saw that reminded them of each other.
He found himself holding back a little though, not jumping on him and clinging to Namjoon as much anymore. He would still hold his hand, lacing his smaller fingers between Namjoon’s longer, delicate ones. He would still lean up for kisses, but he found himself waiting for Namjoon to initiate it more and didn’t press for extra affection as much. When he would feel clingy, he started hearing the echo of Donghyuk in his mind, reminding him that ‘Namjoon hated that shit.’ It didn’t seem like Namjoon even noticed, which made Jimin feel even more insecure about it.
Namjoon was always an introspective person, more internal than anything else. Jimin tried his best to wheedle anything out of him, but it was hard to tell what was going on in his head. Once, when Namjoon had gone so serious and quiet, Jimin asked him what he was thinking about, and Namjoon had answered, without a shred of irony, that Seokjin had asked him if a tiger or a shark would win in a battle so he was going over the logistics of it.
Jimin would ask him how he was feeling but when he didn’t get much in the way of an answer, he stopped. He assumed Namjoon would tell him if he was upset about something.
He probably shouldn’t have assumed.
Their dates slowly got further and further apart, but Jimin attributed that to work picking up for the both of them. Namjoon got scouted to work with an idol group on their new album to write lyrics and help produce with Yoongi, so they both started being more scarce. Jimin loves Namjoon’s music too, so he understood and tried to be supportive as best he can.
Jimin:
How’s the writing going?
Joonie <3:
Ah you know. Picky idols.
Jimin:
Can’t share anything about it yet?
Joonie <3:
Nah.
Jimin stared at the phone and sighed a little. He tried to remind himself that Namjoon was stressed. It wasn’t anything personal. It still hurt a little bit, though.
Jimin:
I’m sure you’re doing amazing!
He waited for a reply that didn’t come and gave up. He didn’t want to drive Namjoon away, so he let it have some space. He still followed his habits, taking pictures of cute local cats or frogs or Taehyung’s dog to send to him throughout the day, even if he didn’t get much in the way of a response.
They went about a week completely apart before Jimin managed to snag Namjoon for a date.
He had intended for them to go to a movie, he really had, but when Namjoon showed up wearing a button down, folded up over his forearms and tucked in around his slim waist, Jimin dragged Namjoon into his apartment instead. He tugged him down to kiss him and sighed into his mouth. He’d missed him so much this week, it had felt like even longer than that.
He felt a curl of heat low in his belly and slid his hands around Namjoon’s ribs, biting at his bottom lip.
“You wanna?” he pulled back to ask breathily. “Can see a movie later?”
Namjoon nodded and bent to mouth along his ear, tugging his earrings between his teeth and sending Jimin’s nerves shooting down to his cock. He swore softly and tugged Namjoon closer, until he could feel the hard length of him pressing low against Jimin’s belly.
Namjoon walked him backwards to the bedroom and slid his hands up the back of Jimin’s shirt, tugging it up and off in one go. Jimin felt overwhelmed almost from the start, heart pounding in his ears as Namjoon pushed him back until he fell against the bed. Namjoon was on him the next second, plump lips dragging over his throat and collar bone to tease his nipples while Jimin cried out loudly and buried his hands in his hair.
Namjoon wasn’t usually so forward like this. They tended to be more on even footing but it felt like Namjoon was everywhere at once, covering Jimin’s entire body. He was still fully clothed when he had Jimin stripped out naked in front of him, thighs shaking around his head as he mouthed at his cock and stretched him with two long fingers.
“Holy fuck, Joon! Ah!” Jimin gasped and tossed his head back as he tried desperately to keep some sort of control.
“Yeah?” Namjoon smirked up at him, and Jimin flushed, covering his face and whimpering behind his hands. Namjoon stripped quickly, tossing his clothes off the bed before he slid on a condom and tugged Jimin’s hips up to thrust into him in one smooth movement. Jimin cried out loud and tossed his hands back to grab the pillow as he arched up, tossing his head side to side.
Namjoon fucked Jimin almost desperately, setting a brutal pace from the start and dragging roughly against Jimin’s prostate. He bent his head to bite at Jimin’s nipple and Jimin was lost, coming hard with a shout. Namjoon didn’t even slow down, keeping his pace while Jimin squealed and writhed with the extra stimulation.
Namjoon leaned in to kiss him, hands cradling Jimin's head while he slammed the sharp jut of his hips against the curve of Jimin's ass as his knot started to swell, tugging on Jimin’s rim before he thrust in one more time, pressing the thick curve of the knot against his prostate. Jimin dribbled out a feeble orgasm as he came again, a couple tears trickling down his temples from being so overwhelmed.
He pet weakly at Namjoon’s hair, pushing the sweaty strands away from his face with trembling fingers. His thighs were still trembling around Namjoon’s hips as he groaned into Jimin’s neck with the end of his orgasm as the knot slowly went down.
He stayed for a few more moments before pulling out and tossing the condom into the bedroom trash can before flopping back down to the bed. Jimin got up and stumbled, his legs feeling as weak and shaky as a newborn giraffe’s legs to go clean up. He frowned a bit, feeling a bit more of a trickle exiting his hole than he usually did. His slick seemed a little more white than it usually did, but Namjoon hadn't mentioned anything about the condom so he shrugged it off. He’d also never come twice in a row like that before.
When he stumbled back out, Namjoon was already getting dressed again.
"You gotta go?" Jimin asked, trying to squash the disappointment that sank down in his belly.
"Yeah, got work early in the morning," Namjoon replied. He didn't look Jimin in the face. He wasn’t sure how to feel about that.
"You could stay the night with me. I can make breakfast." He slumped over Namjoon’s shoulders a little, rubbing his nose into Namjoon’s neck before pulling back.
"And make me late for work?" Namjoon cracked a small smile. Jimin’s heart thumped in his chest, and he leaned in to kiss him again.
"Maybe. Just a little." He wrinkled his nose up at Namjoon. "You should stay anyway."
"Another time," Namjoon promised, and Jimin sighed with a nod. He tried not to over think it. Namjoon said another time. Don’t be too clingy, he reminded himself. He flopped back on the bed and pouted for a second.
"See you soon." Namjoon gave him a quick kiss on the head, and Jimin tried not to be sad about it. Being an adult really sucked sometimes.
Jimin allowed himself to be a little sad for a moment. He just wanted to lay in bed with Namjoon. He wanted to have quiet conversations in the dark before they fell asleep, and he wanted to wake up to laugh at their puffy faces and pillow creases and bed head.
Maybe soon.
**** ** ****
Their sixth month anniversary was in the next few weeks, and Jimin thought he might want to try for the next step in their relationship. He had spent time at Tae, Jungkook, and Hoseok’s apartment earlier in the week. Their apartment made him so happy, seeing their knickknacks and mess all intertwined. Jungkook’s workout gear next to Taehyung’s aprons for painting and Hobi’s battered dance sneakers all in the coat closet, Hobi’s bright jackets and sweaters next to Jungkook’s dark hoodies and Taehyung’s patterned shirts in the closet. It was so interesting to see how they filled out the different parts of each other's lives, and Jimin felt a longing behind his ribs.
How would his apartment look with Namjoon’s plants in the windows? With their art and collectibles cluttered together on the shelves? How would Namjoon’s overalls and sweats look next to Jimin’s knit sweaters and ballet clothing in the closet?
Maybe they could work on cooking together, shoulders brushing in the small kitchen.
He took a deep breath, staring at the shelf full of keys for a while before calling Taehyung for moral support.
“I don’t know though. Like… is it too big a step too early? How did you know?” He frets, gnawing on his bottom lip.
“You just know, I think? I just wanted them around no matter if I was having a good day or a bad day. I know you really care about him, and he cares about you. Even if he says no, then that just means you put it on the table for later, and you can discuss what to do from there , ” Taehyung replied, annoyingly reasonable.
“I hate that you’re all logical. This is probably why you can navigate having two boyfriends, and I can barely get out of my head about one.”
“Yeah, probably. We try to talk about things a lot. It’s not like it’s easy though. Jungkook will bottle shit up for days and then I start snapping at people when I get close to heat and Hobi starts leaving like… tributes around the apartment. Jungkook says he’s trying to appease the Kraken,” Taehyung replied easily. Jimin snorted and covered his mouth as he started laughing, ignoring Tae’s indignant sounds at his mirth.
“Alright. Alright. I’m going to do it! Key for Namjoon!” Jimin took a deep breath before grabbing a silver key off the rack. “I’m going to ask on our anniversary.”
“So proud of you!” Taehyung cheers, and Jimin’s face hurts from smiling so much.
*** ** ***
Jimin set up the dinner, his hands shaking a little with nerves. He got a lot of their favorite foods and even broke out the dishes so it wasn’t in takeout containers. He couldn’t help but imagine what Namjoon’s reaction would be. He could practically see the huge smile, the one where Namjoon’s eyes went up in little crescents and his dimples pressed creases in his cheeks. His heart felt too big to hold in his chest just thinking about it.
He felt like he hadn’t seen Namjoon in months, even though he knew it was only about three weeks since their last date. He’d texted a few times to set everything up, but he knew Namjoon was busy by the short replies and lack of images sent to him. But all of that was okay because today was the day. He would get to tell Namjoon how much he loved him and then give him the key. Maybe Namjoon wouldn't entirely move in to start with, but Jimin had cleared a drawer too. Just in case.
The building code dinged his phone, letting him know Namjoon had made it and was on his way up, so he sprang over to do a quick check in the mirror, adjusting his hair and making sure his soft yellow sweater was draped nicely over his torn jeans. The knock came a moment later, and he tried not to immediately sprint to the door. He double checked that the key with the ring tied with a little white bow was still snug in his jeans pocket before he opened the door. He didn’t want to spoil the surprise early.
He smiled warmly up at Namjoon, tilting his head for a kiss automatically. Namjoon gave him a ghost of a smile as he stepped in, looking a little tired, but didn’t lean in for the kiss. Jimin felt a little lump work its way into his throat, but he shook himself mentally. Namjoon looked like he was stressed, maybe he wanted to relax a bit first.
"Hi! How was work? How's Yoongi? The album is almost done, right?" Jimin asked, trying to draw him out of his funk, enticing him into conversation.
"Oh you know. The usual. Yoongi is about 80% coffee at this point," Namjoon replied with a small smile, only one dimple.
"So he cut back on the Americano this week?" Jimin joked as he went over to the table, set with their chopsticks and some cold soju to go with the food. He expected Namjoon to laugh at it, but he was just quiet as he sat down and picked up his chopsticks.
Namjoon had a habit when he was over thinking of fidgeting with nearby objects, picking them up and setting them down like he wasn’t sure what he wanted to do. He tapped the metal ends of the chopsticks together twice before setting them back down again.
He had his glasses on today, his prescription ones, thick and sliding a little down the soft slope of his nose. Jimin sat with him and frowned a little in concern as he started doling out food. Namjoon poked at the rice idly with his chopsticks, and then grabbed his glass to drink a large gulp of soju.
"You’re kind of down today. Is there something you wanted to talk about?" Jimin tried, rubbing his hands against his jeans nervously.
"Yes, actually," Namjoon sighed. Jimin felt a little relieved at that, smiling softly. Surely it wasn’t all that bad if Namjoon was willing to talk about it with only a little prompting.
"Okay, what is it?"
"Yeah. Alright. So." Namjoon picked up the glass again and then sat it down, and then picked it up again and took a drink before setting it down once more and fiddling with the lip of the glass. "I think you know this isn't really working out."
It hit Jimin like that first real slap of a winter storm. His skin felt burning and cold at once, his spine shivering with fear. His mind scattered every direction like a dropped jar of marbles, zinging off 80 directions at once and clattering loudly in panic.
"What?" he asked dumbly, staring blankly at Namjoon’s frown.
"C’mon, Jimin-ah. We obviously aren't at the same level of invested in this relationship." He looked up at Jimin, face closed off and mouth pursed.
"Oh. I. I guess--" He blinked, trying to find words, trying to wrangle the need to cry, or throw up or just beg for answers. The key felt like a lead weight in his jeans pocket.
"It's been pretty clear to me for a while now. And I'm honestly… I'm just tired of doing this. So I think we should stop," Namjoon said, matter-of-factly and definitively. The words felt like someone had punched Jimin right in the solar plexus, knocking the breath out of him.
"Right. Right. Okay. I….You want to break up," Jimin muttered softly, trying to catch his breath.
"Yes," Namjoon agreed and then stood. "I’m… gonna go ahead and go home."
Jimin may have nodded. He wasn't sure. He sat there, staring at the cooling food for a while as it slowly sunk in. Namjoon had just broken up with him. He just left.
His phone rattled on the table after maybe an hour? 2? He wasn't sure.
Tae:
So??? How'd it go? I tried to leave time for the celebratory sex lol
Jimin stared at the phone for a moment before he finally broke down in tears, ugly and wrenching. He tore the key out of his pocket and dropped it to the floor by his seat, and then stumbled to his room, leaving dinner on the table. He tugged his jeans off and crawled into bed, ignoring Tae’s message as he cried himself to sleep.
*** ** ****
Tae:
Jimi?
Are you there?
Please answer I'm Worried
2 missed calls from Tae
Tae:
Im hella worried wtf
….hobi talked to Yoongi. Jungkook and I are coming over.
Jimin swore softly at his phone just as the door to his room opened. He hadn’t locked the door after Namjoon left.
"Oh, my baby…" Tae cooed softly and then crawled into his bed. Jimin lasted all of two seconds before he broke down crying again, gasping raggedly. His heart felt like it was shredded in his chest and his stomach roiled angrily. Taehyung pulled him into a hug, brushing his long fingers through his hair.
"I just don't understand," Jimin gasped between sobs, burying his face against Tae's chest and trying not to get snot all over the place. "We… we had been a little distant, but I thought. He was just busy I thought--" he broke off into wordless sobs, and Tae rocked him gently, making soft, wordless sounds of comfort.
"I cleaned up the dinner," Jungkook’s soft voice came a moment later, and the bed dipped as he crawled in with them. Jimin hiccuped as he tried to breathe through the sobs and calm down. Jungkook’s broad palm joined Tae's on his back, rubbing soft circles.
"He.. he just said we were obviously not the same amount of invested. I… I tried not to b-be too clingy, bu-but… I guess he just doesn't love me back." Jimin sobbed harder, a fresh wave of tears soaking into Taehyung's shirt.
Jungkook leaned to smush him until he was basically pressed between their chests. He calmed slowly, crying until his eyes felt hot and swollen and his nose was so clogged he couldn't breathe through it anymore. He snuggled between Taehyung and Jungkook, limp and exhausted.
"I feel so bad," Taehyung muttered softly a few moments later, clearly thinking Jimin had fallen asleep. "I thought Namjoon really cared about him. I encouraged him to go buy the key."
"I thought so, too. They seemed so happy together," Jungkook sighed softly and pet Jimin's hair back from his face. Jimin just lay there with his eyes closed.
He had thought so, too.
**** ** ****
Jimin tried not to feel ridiculous about how depressed he felt after the breakup. It was hard to get to sleep, and then it was hard to wake up. He spent three solid days in bed, calling out from work and refusing to get out of bed for anything but the bathroom. He tried to eat, but his stomach turned whenever he even smelled the food.
He missed Namjoon so much. He tormented himself, looking at their old messages in his phone. Pictures scattered through the thread of Namjoon’s plants or the frog he saw on a walk, selfies with his bright smile, messages of how their day was going, all of it slowly tapering off into spaced out replies or single word answers. Sometimes Namjoon would just send the heart emoji. It hadn’t bothered Jimin at the time, but now he saw it all laid out in front of him, with the knowledge that Namjoon wasn’t invested, he could see it clearly now. Jimin felt hollowed out, an empty Namjoon-sized hole torn through his chest.
Hoseok came over after work and made him shower and drink some soup and tea, and wouldn’t let him crawl back into bed.
“I know it’s hard, but you have to take care of yourself, okay?” Hobi rubbed the back of Jimin’s head, messing up his wet hair. Jimin just nodded.
“I’ll try, hyung,” he promised. Hoseok squashed him into a hug to watch some mindless TV for a while before he went home. Jimin slept on the couch, wrapped in his throw blanket that Seokjin had gotten him for his birthday that still smelled like Hobi’s cologne to feel comforted.
He knew he wasn’t alone. He would be okay eventually. Maybe he and Namjoon could even be friends, despite their ended relationship.
He made himself get out of bed the next morning and drink a smoothie. He got dressed and went outside to walk to work, the sun still low enough that it hadn’t gotten really hot yet. He turned his face into the light and tried to let it seep into him and fill the empty spaces in his heart. After a moment he continued, hands in his pockets, and he saw a tiny bird hopping, darting on tiny legs with a fluffy round body of feathers. It was so cute, he snapped a photo mindlessly and sent it to Namjoon with a caption:
Jimin:
Look at this round boy!
Joonie:
?
His stomach sank as he realized how mindlessly he had done that. Namjoon must think he was careless or stupid. How was he going to explain it to him when he barely understood it himself?
Jimin:
Ah I sort of sent it before I thought about it
It made me think of you
But… we’re still friends right? We can still talk?
Joonie:
I don't think so right now
Jimin:
Oh. Okay. I'm Really sorry to bother you.
Automatic message :
The subscriber you are trying to reach is unavailable.
Jimin stared disbelievingly at his phone for a minute before a hot tear splattered against the screen.
Namjoon had blocked him.
He stood there until his feet ached from the concrete beneath his shoes and his tears dried in tracks down his face.
His phone rang in his hand, lighting up the black screen beneath the tear drops. He scrubbed quickly at his face and sniffed hard before answering.
"Jimin-ah! Aren't you coming to the studio today? I've been waiting for you!" Hoseok's voice came through the phone, tinged with worry.
"Ah… sorry, hyung. Something came up," Jimin lied. "Can you cover for me?"
"Yeah, of course. Call me if you need anything, okay?"
"Course. Bye." Jimin hung up before Hoseok could reply again and stared at the spot where the bird used to be for a minute before turning around and walking back home.
He stripped and crawled back into bed in his boxers and T-shirt, tugged the blanket over his head, and stared into the dark, quiet space he had made until he felt less like he was going to shatter.
***** *** ****
Jimin thought it was just the depression. His appetite still sucked and then he started to wake up nauseous. He felt really fatigued, constantly wanting to nap even though he slept a full eight hours at night.
Even though he wasn’t feeling better, he started making himself get out a bit more after the first week. He started seeing Taehyung, Jungkook, and Hoseok a bit more. He mostly sat quietly with them, leaning into someone’s warmth and taking comfort from their good-natured bickering and playful teasing.
Jimin had to talk himself down a lot. He felt really needy, but he also felt too scared to act on it. He drove Namjoon off. What if he drove his friends off, too?
He didn't think he could be too much for Taehyung, but he hadn't thought he was too much for Namjoon either. What would he do if he was left all alone?
It was a bit pathetic, but Jimin kept trying to text Namjoon. He tried it when he felt particularly masochistic, sending little snippets of his day, a comment about how he missed Namjoon, pictures of little animals that reminded him of things Namjoon had sent him. Just to see. He told himself the automated message didn't hurt anymore. He lied.
He went to work and didn’t skip, even when he couldn't keep down his breakfast. There were dark bags under his eyes, and his jaw was getting sharper as he lost weight. Some days he felt well enough to eat lunch, but others even the smell of food would put him off and he’d end up sipping some herbal tea instead.
He tried to have lunch with Jungkook a few times a week, poking listlessly at his lunch at the cafe where Jungkook worked.
"Taehyung is getting cranky again, too, so I keep finding chocolate bars stashed around where Hoseok keeps hiding them like that's going to somehow stop Taehyung from PHS-ing. I mean, it helps, but then Tae gets upset that the chocolate makes him break out." Jungkook sighed as he took a long sip from his banana milkshake and then popped a fry into his mouth. Jimin frowned in confusion.
"Pre-heat? Taehyung shouldn't be due yet. He's usually two weeks after mine."
"It's the 15th? You're usually in the first week, right?" Jungkook’s brown crinkled in concern, doe-eyes going even wider. "Did… did you not have your heat, hyung?"
"Oh. I... I guess not. But it's probably just stress." He checked his tracking app on his phone. It had a tiny frowny face saying he was overdue. Shit. He shook his head and shrugged a bit.
"Maybe. I didn’t want to say anything but you haven’t been looking so good. Are you getting sick? Maybe Seokjin hyung can make you some soup?"
"He and Yoongi haven't really talked to me since the breakup. Donghyuk either. I guess they don't want to talk to me when Namjoon blocked me."
"I still can't believe he did that. Do you… maybe want me to talk to him? Or I could fight him! I've been bulking up, I bet I could take on an alpha!"
"I don't want you to fight him." Jimin patted Jungkook’s bicep with a sigh. "I just… want Namjoon to be happy. Even if it's not with me." Jimin sighed, and it felt like it came from the pit of his soul as it came out. It was true, too. He didn’t hate Namjoon. He wasn’t angry at him. He was just hurt and missing him.
"I want you to be happy too, hyung," Jungkook replied earnestly. "We have a really big bed, I bet Hobi and Tae would date you, too!" he joked, smiling wide enough to scrunch his nose up and show off his teeth.
"Gross. I love you guys but not like that." Jimin wrinkled his nose up in mock disgust.
"I'm gonna tell Taehyung you said his love is gross." Jungkook nodded decisively and pulled out his phone. Jimin made a grab for it, and they scuffled good naturedly for a minute.
For the first time in almost a month, Jimin thought he might be okay.
**** *** ****
The first week of the next month came.
Jimin's heat did not.
But it was fine. It was cool. He wasn't panicking at all. He wasn't replaying that last time he had been with Namjoon, how hectic they had been, the way the slick Jimin had cleaned up had looked a little milky.
Of course they would have noticed if the condom broke. There's no way they would have missed that, right?
It was just stress. It just had to be stress.
Taehyung did not agree with him.
"Sure, stress, right. Two missed heats worth of stress means you're taking a test or I'm taking you to the hospital for that stress. Pick." He raised both of his brows challengingly and pursed his mouth at Jimin. They stared at each other for a minute.
Jimin sighed and snatched the test out of Taehyung’s hand.
Sitting on the toilet, staring at the little window as it popped up declaring him pregnant felt especially surreal.
It felt no less surreal when he took a second test, just to be sure it wasn't a false positive, and the window cheerily informed him that he was pregnant a second time.The tiny smiley face mocked him.
He swore softly under his breath and stared down at his stomach in horror. Taehyung was waiting outside, and Jimin could hear him pacing. He steeled himself and opened the door. Taehyung’s head whipped up to look at him expectantly.
"So. What's the best day of the week to find out you're pregnant with your ex's baby?" Jimin asked Taehyung numbly. Taehyung's jaw dropped, and his eyes went comically wide. "I feel like Thursday really sucks for it," Jimin remarked and handed Taehyung the test before he walked past him to collapse into the couch.
Taehyung stood staring at the test, frozen.
Taehyung's stunned silence was so quiet that when the first tear plopped onto Jimin's jeans, he heard the sound it made.
"Oh my god, Jimin," Taehyung whispered and then sat on the coffee table and leaned forward to wrap Jimin up in a tight hug. He sighed shakily into the curve of Taehyung's neck and clenched his eyes shut tight.
"What am I going to do?" he breathed, shuddering a bit.
In a more perfect world, a gentler and kinder world, this would have been a good day. He would be telling Namjoon. Maybe they would already be living together. Maybe they would be happy about it.
Maybe Jimin would feel excited and not terrified.
Taehyung let him out of the hug long enough to sit beside him and tug him into his lap.
“I need to text Jungkook and Hoseok," he sighed, and Jimin panicked.
"DON'T tell them!" he yelped. Taehyung paused, blinking at him.
"Okay. But… you.. don't want them to come over?"
"No. I don't want them to know. Taehyung I don't… know what I'm going to do yet," Jimin said carefully and looked down at his stomach warily.
"Okay. Okay. I'm just gonna tell them I'm staying over, okay?"
"You don't have to--"
"Shush. You need snuggles, and I am the one to give them," Taehyung cut him off with a wave of his hand and texted quickly before hustling Jimin to the bedroom. He picked out Jimin’s comfiest PJ sets for them both before making Jimin go to the bathroom with him to wash their faces and do their skincare routine. He even put the toothpaste on Jimin's toothbrush for him and held it out to him when Jimin stood staring at nothing for too long.
They crawled into bed, and Taehyung talked quietly about the plot of a drama he had just finished, filling the silence with his warm, low voice. When Taehyung fell asleep plastered around Jimin like an octopus and started snoring softly, Jimin stared into the darkness, warring emotions swirling in a tight knot in his stomach.
He was so glad he had Taehyung, who didn't listen when Jimin tried to be alone with this.
Slowly, he pressed a hand over his stomach. It felt the same, the skin the same smooth warmth.
He left his hand there as he started to drift to sleep.
**** ** ****
Taehyung kept his word and didn't tell anyone about the pregnancy. Jimin was honestly still hoping it was some freak false positive, the product of a defective test, something. Anything.
He made an appointment at a local obstetrician for the next week and tried not to look as panicked and stressed as he felt.
Truth be told, Jimin had wanted to be a parent most of his life. He loved kids, loved teaching them, loved babysitting for his parents' friends, and thought it was so fascinating to watch them grow into their personality.
He just didn't think he was going to be alone for it. He didn't know if he wanted to be alone for it.
It would have been a lot easier if the doctor had come in with a negative. She did not. She did at least read the room and looked a little solemn.
"It is positive. You said you missed two heats?" she asked, brows creased in empathy and concern.
"Yeah. I had… well. There was a possible condom break? I never saw it, but it was a while ago." Jimin sighed and ran his hands through his hair slowly.
"I understand. We could find out how far along you are with an ultrasound. It's up to you if you want to see it or not. Anything you want to do, I'm here to support you no matter what, okay?" She took his hand in hers and gave it a little squeeze. Jimin tried not to cry at the sudden rush of emotion and just wordlessly nodded.
"We can do the ultrasound. Can… I decide when we do it if I want to see?"
"Absolutely. I will face it away and if you change your mind, you let me know," Dr. Jon assured him, and he nodded. "Because you're still early, we have to do it internally so it will be a little uncomfortable, but it's the best way to see what's happening."
She walked him slowly through the steps as he stripped his lower half, shivering a little as the doctor and nurse prepped him and they got the ultrasound set up.
Dr. Jon kept her word and faced the ultrasound away from him as he lay there and tried not to fidget.
"Alright, I can see it. Looks like about 8 weeks along, size wise, which does fit with the missed heats. Does that match with the date you were thinking?"
Jimin took a deep breath and tried to calculate. His brain felt like it was mired in the static of an old TV and thoughts would come and slide through sporadically.
"Yeah. It does. Um. I… can I see?" he asked. He didn't know why, but he wanted to see it. It still didn't really feel real. How could he make a decision for something so abstract?
Dr. Jon didn't question him, just turned the ultrasound screen in his direction. Sure enough, there it was. It didn't honestly look like much, almost a little bean shape. He felt a lump in his throat regardless.
"Oh…," he murmured softly, and Dr. Jon gave him another sympathetic look. "Can… Can I have a print off?" he asked, tentatively.
"Absolutely," she assured him and got the machine to print off a little image. The little bean was there.
Jimin was totally screwed.
Ready for it or not, happy for it or not, he knew the decision. Fuck.
They got him cleaned up, and he got dressed again, still holding the picture. It was so strange to think about. That was going to be a little person. A little person that might have Namjoon’s nose and Jimin's smile. Might have dimples.
He snapped a quick picture with his phone and texted it to Taehyung. His phone rang almost a second later.
"Hey," he answered.
"Holy shit, Jiminie! Just spring that on me! What does this mean?" Taehyung asked.
“Looks like I'm gonna be a parent, is what it means," Jimin replied softly and cupped his hand over his lower belly. He started feeling almost protective of it. He wasn’t really sure why.
"Oh my god! It's like a little gummy bear already! I need to learn how to knit baby socks!" Taehyung rambled in the same vein for a while and some of the worry started to dissipate. He might be single, but he did have Taehyung. He had Hoseok and Jungkook too, and his parents (even if he was not looking forward to that conversation any time soon).
And even if Namjoon didn't want to date Jimin, he might still want to be part of the baby's life.
"I've gotta tell Namjoon," Jimin interrupted Taehyung's ramblings after a moment. There was silence on the other end for a long moment before Taehyung sighed.
"Yeah. Do you want me to go with you? Or Hobi? Take the alpha. He's scary when he makes that really serious face. Or Jungkook! He already threatened to fight people."
"Nah. Thanks though. I don’t want anyone to fight Namjoon. I’m going to think about it for a little while first. That's not too selfish, is it?"
"No. It's a really big thing. Thinking about it is a good plan, in my opinion."
"Thanks, Taetae."
*******
The next couple weeks were some of the worst Jimin could remember. Worse than finals week senior year when he hadn’t slept for three days and had a dance competition. Worse than that time he fell down the stairs outside his grandmother's house and snapped his arm.
Namjoon still had him blocked. Yoongi felt like he was off limits since he was Namjoon’s best friend. Seokjin had been busy enough that Jimin could make an excuse not to text him even if he felt guilty for being relieved that he didn't have to skirt around the secret with him.
He also suspected Hoseok knew something was up. He seemed like he was watching him for something. Jimin just didn’t know what. Even Jungkook seemed a little reserved when Jimin refused to say anything about what was going on even though Taehyung knew and Jimin worried he was putting strain on their relationship.
He still didn’t want to tell anyone else about the baby yet. He didn’t want Namjoon to hear it secondhand through drama, but he didn’t know how to get in contact with him anymore. It wasn’t something he could call the studio and leave a message about: ‘Yeah, could you let RM-pd know that his ex is pregnant with his baby and to please unblock him? Thanks!”’
He also didn't know how he felt about just showing up at Namjoon's apartment with the news. What if Namjoon wasn't even home? It wasn't news you could leave with a note on the door.
The biggest kindness in the universe was Kim Taehyung. He kept checking on Jimin, sending him texts and pictures of him making funny faces and trying to make sure Jimin was eating.
He wasn’t. Not really. He tried, but everything turned his stomach. He woke up just to get sick, and his cheeks were hollowing out a little bit. Dr. Jon had him taking extra supplements and was making fretful noises about his weight. He was just so miserable that even food had lost its joy. He remembered spending nights giggling and eating dinner with Seokjin, going out for ramen with Jungkook, long walks that ended in small cafes with Namjoon, Yoongi’s home cooking, and felt isolated and sad for himself.
He’d even debated going home to his parents. Just packing up, leaving his job and his apartment, and moving back in with his mom and dad. At least then maybe he wouldn’t feel so alone.
Despite the morning sickness and lack of appetite, his stomach slowly started rounding out. Not a lot. A small bump, poking out above the waistband of his jeans until he couldn’t button them anymore. He gnawed at his lip as he got ready for work, wondering what he would do when he started showing too much to hide with baggy sweaters.
He had another doctor’s appointment alone to check on his progress. Dr. Jon was still fretful about his weight and added him to new supplements and an anti-nausea medication. They did another ultrasound, this time over the taut skin of his belly. Dr. Jon played the sound of the heartbeat, the little blip on the screen beating in time with it. The picture looked just like a little baby this time, not a bean. Jimin stared at it in awe, looking at the slope of the baby’s nose.
He knew he had to tell Namjoon. It had been too long already. He couldn’t put it off anymore.
After the appointment, he tried texting even though he was sure it would be useless. The automatic message popped up instantly, just like he knew it would. He sighed, reaching up to pinch the bridge of his nose.
The way Namjoon worked, he had no idea when he would be home or what time. Jimin stared at his message for a moment and thought about texting Yoongi or Jin but chickened out before he could actually type anything. He thought about texting Donghyuk but his mind kept replaying ' you know he hates that shit ' whenever he thought about it.
He put his phone back in his pocket and sighed. He would have to just show up. If Namjoon wasn’t there, then Jimin would suck it up and text Donghyuk or Yoongi to set up a meeting or just sit outside the door until Namjoon did come home, but he knew he couldn’t put it off anymore. He set out for the bus stop, working on screwing up his courage.
His mind ran away with a million different scenarios as he traveled, everything from Namjoon somehow screaming at him and being angry, to Namjoon accepting him and trying to work things out again for the sake of the baby and then resenting him and the child over time, to Namjoon just flat out not caring and shrugging him off, telling Jimin it was his problem now.
Jimin didn’t know exactly what he wanted to happen, but he knew that Namjoon deserved to know, especially since he hadn’t gotten an opinion about whether or not Jimin was even going to keep the baby, and that kept him from turning around and going home to hide under the covers for the next 20 weeks.
He rehearsed how to word it to Namjoon over and over under his breath.
“So I know we were careful, but I’m pregnant. Too blunt? Ugh…” he rubbed his hands over his face and hair in frustration. There was really no good way to break the news. He took the latest ultrasound out and stared at it. He swore that the nose in the picture looked just like Namjoon’s.
Jimin held the image carefully as he stared out the window on the bus and watched the buildings blur past before it reached the stop outside Namjoon’s apartment. He walked the short distance to Namjoon’s building, staring up at the windows to take a fortifying breath. He could do this. He had to do this.
He held the ultrasound in one hand while he knocked with the other and waited, jiggling a leg with nerves. He almost jumped out of his skin when the door opened and Donghyuk leaned out.
“Oh wow. Wasn’t expecting to see you around anymore.” He raised an eyebrow at Jimin, more than a little condescendingly. “I thought Joon dumped you. You didn’t take the hint?”
“...What the hell? Why are you talking to me like that?” Jimin reared back a bit, confused as hell and more than a little shocked.
“Like what?” Donghyuk scoffed, and then reached out and plucked the ultrasound picture from his hand. Jimin grabbed for it with a cry, but Donghyuk gripped his shoulder, hard, and held him in place. His eyes were narrowed coldly. “Oh what’s this? You seriously went and got pregnant already?”
“That’s not any of your business. Get off me!” Jimin slapped at Donghyuk’s arm and then winced when his grip tightened painfully on his collar bone. “What’s the matter with you?”
“The matter? You played around with my friend’s feelings and then immediately hopped on someone else's knot to get pregnant? And then came around here to what? Brag about it? Pathetic little omega can’t be alone?” Donghyuk sneered at him.
Jimin wrenched out from under his hand and snatched the ultrasound when Donghyuk tossed it at him.
“I don’t know what the fuck you’re on about,” Jimin snarled back. “I thought we were friends.”
“Nah. I wouldn’t be friends with someone as pathetic as an omega,” He laughed and then shut the door in Jimin’s face.
“....You fucking live with Yoongi!? What the fuck? What just happened to me?” He gasped at the door and then stumbled back off towards the bus. He felt numb with shock, aside from the throbbing in his shoulder where Donghyuk had snatched at him so hard and dug his fingers in.
Donghyuk hadn’t ever been the nicest hyung, but to talk like that… It seemed so out of character. Even when he had said things in the past that Jimin had thought was unintentionally mean, he’d winced and rubbed the back of his neck, looking embarrassed or upset that he had stepped on Jimin’s feelings. Had he hated Jimin this whole time? Did he hate Yoongi and Taehyung, too? Just for being omegas? Jimin knew people were misogynistic, he wasn’t that naive, but to find one in his own friend group who hated him just for being omega made something in his stomach turn into a hard lump of ice.
It hit as he stepped in his apartment and looked down at the ultrasound picture, a little crumpled now, and started sobbing softly. How long had Donghyuk been harboring this hatred, and Jimin had been too stupid to see it? He knew he didn’t always feel completely comfortable around Donghyuk, but he never would have thought he was harboring those feelings towards Jimin this whole time.
His phone buzzed a couple times, but he ignored it, going to wash his face. He tugged his shirt off and gaped in the mirror. He had fresh bruises from Donghyuk’s fingertips on his shoulder and little crescents where his nails had dug into the skin.
Everything felt like a strange waking nightmare. How had his life gone so completely off the rails?
He dressed in soft clothes to try and comfort himself and went to the living room to curl up on the couch, wrapping himself in his soft blanket like a burrito and rubbing slow circles onto the swell of his belly.
He remembered the buzzing and checked his phone, seeing a couple messages from Tae.
Tae:
How did it go? Was he there?
Jimin?
B O Y you gotta stop ignoring me I’ma cry
Jimin:
He wasn’t there, sorry. I just got on my couch.
Tae:
Bummer. You gonna call Yoongi?
Jimin sighed, looking at the phone. He didn’t know if he was ready to talk to Yoongi yet either. He felt off-kilter, second guessing himself. What if Yoongi didn’t really like him either? He’d dropped Jimin quickly after Namjoon dumped him, too. What if they only put up with him because of Taehyung or Namjoon?
Jimin :
I'm going to have to.
I'm really nervous.
Tae:
I’m here for anything. I've been working out with Jungkook. I can totally punch someone for you!
Jimin:
Omg haha ily
No punching ppl! I’ll ttyl.
Tae :
Ily2!
He sat with his feelings for a little while and tried not to feel sorry for himself. It would work out. It had to. He resolved to call Yoongi in the morning, to give himself time to calm down after what had happened with Donghyuk.
He ended up curling up on his side on the couch into a doze. He woke up when his phone started buzzing again, several times in a row.
Yoongi :
Hey
I don’t know what's going on with you
I'm hearing some things that really don't sound like you
Jimin’s stomach roiled as he read the messages. What had Donghyuk told him? He tried typing but his thumbs stalled and he kept deleting it, unsure what to say.
Yoongi :
I see you typing.
I'm gonna call.
His hands shook so hard he almost dropped the phone. He hadn't even told Namjoon yet, and now he would have to tell Yoongi. Even worse, what if Yoongi didn't believe him? What if Yoongi also thought the baby was someone else’s? Until he gave birth, there wasn’t really any way for him to prove it.
Moreover, it would be more than fair for Yoongi to believe Donghyuk. They had been friends for years before Yoongi even met Jimin, and they were roommates. His phone buzzed again, lighting up with messages from Hoseok.
Hobi :
What the hell is going on, Jimin?
Yoongi is upset as fuck
Jimin blinked and scrubbed at his watery eyes. Everything felt like it was crumbling underneath him and he didn’t know what to do.
Jimin :
I know. He already texted me.
Hobi :
He won’t tell me why he’s so upset?
Jimin :
I don’t want to talk about it yet. He said he is going to call me.
I just have a lot going on.
Hobi :
Jin’s making That Face. Does Jin know what’s going on?
Jimin :
I don’t know. He hasn’t texted me.
The phone was silent for a second. Jimin carefully folded up his blanket and draped it over the back of the couch, and then went to lay in bed, clutching his phone. He clicked the screen periodically, on pins and needles for the ring. It felt like he was going to throw up when it finally rang.
"Park Jiminie," Yoongi's voice rasped over the line. Jimin fought back tears, trying to figure out if he sounded mad or disappointed or not.
"Hi, hyung," he managed, voice small.
"Donghyuk said you were here today," he started and then paused, taking a short inhale before letting it out in a thoughtful sound. "He said you had an ultrasound picture. That you were laughing thinking about Namjoon’s face when he saw it."
Jimin gasped and shook his head even though Yoongi wouldn't be able to see it. "Hyung, I-- he-- that!!" Jimin started to gasp, choking on his words.
"Easy. Breathe," Yoongi said softly. "That doesn't sound like you. I texted you that, remember?"
"Hobi said you were upset at me," Jimin burst out and then started crying. "Hyung, it's all a mess. I was going to tell Namjoon, but it's not funny at all. Everything is so messed up."
"You were going to tell Namjoon?" Yoongi sounded a little more angry this time. "Why would you tell him that?"
"...what… What do you mean, hyung? He has a right to know. I know I shouldn't have made a decision without talking to him first, but he blocked me so--"
"Wait a second. Wait. He did what?" Yoongi's voice was sharper.
"I… I sent him a picture of a bird on accident, and then he said we weren't even friends a-anymore and blocked me." Jimin broke off to grab a tissue and blow his running noise.
"...I'm going to come over. I'll be ten minutes," Yoongi said and then hung up.
As Jimin stared at his phone, it lit up with more texts, this time from Taehyung.
Tae:
Everyone is freaking out???
Donghyuk apparently said some stuff to yoongi
Oh holy shit Yoongi just asked if Hobi knew about the baby! shit !!!!
Idk what to say!!! They’re all just looking at me like they know I know!
Hobi:
THIS IS WHAT YOU MEANT BY A LOT GOING ON?
You're pregnant?!?!?!
Why didn't you tell me?
Jinnie:
What in the ever loving fuck is going on right now Park Jimin.
Jimin couldn't even reply to either of them, just stared wide eyed at his messages as more kept coming through until his intercom buzzed. He walked on numb legs to let him up and waited.
The moments between the intercom and the knock felt like an endless stretch of time.
He felt like everything was spinning out of control. He had been quiet for so long, so scared of losing everyone, and now he was certain he was going to.
He startled as Yoongi knocked on the door and then took a deep breath and unlocked it, steeling his resolve as he swung the door open.
Yoongi looked at him for a second, his eyes sharp and unreadable before he let out a heavy sigh and tugged Jimin into a sturdy hug, tugging Jimin's head down to his shoulder with a broad hand cupped on the back of his head.
Jimin was stunned for a second before he sniffled and hugged Yoongi back, trying hard not to just break down.
"Yah, Park Jiminie. Why didn't you text me sooner, hm?" Yoongi said, words rough but voice gentle. Jimin felt his legs go weak with relief. Yoongi wasn’t mad. He didn’t hate him.
"It's all a mess," Jimin muttered and just clung to him, hiding his face in the crook of his neck to inhale his soft scent.
"Ah, Yoongi's here too!" Seokjin's voice came in the hallway. Jimin carefully peeked up to look at him. Jin was in his blue old man pajamas and a pair of beat up slides and socks, with Hoseok, Jungkook, and Taehyung behind him also in their pajamas. "Let hyung have a turn." He poked a crooked finger at Yoongi, and then Jimin switched hugs, head into Jin's chest as he gently rocked them back and forth. "You didn't reply, I was worried."
"Sorry, hyung," Jimin muttered, snuggling closer into the hug.
"Gangs all here!" Taehyung chirped. "I brought some of the chocolate stash that Hobi usually throws at me pre-heat." He waggled a plastic bag. He was putting on a lot of cheer sandwiched between Hoseok and Jungkook’s hurt and worried faces. Jimin felt like he would drown in guilt looking at them.
“Let’s go in and sit down,” Yoongi suggested. Seokjin let Jimin go from the hug and he wiped at his tear streaked face quickly. Jungkook and Hoseok both gasped, and Jimin realized belatedly that he was wearing a T-shirt over his pajama pants, and the hem caught on the small swell of his belly.
“So it really is true. You’re pregnant,” Hobi muttered and then reached out and put two warm palms against his belly. Jimin pulled his lips between his teeth and nodded, trying not to panic. “Oh Jiminie, you could have told me. You know you could have told me, right?” Hoseok looked heartbroken.
“It’s not like that, hyung, I promise. I didn’t tell anyone,” Jimin promised, resting his hands on Hobi’s wrists, trying to comfort him.
“Taehyung knew,” Jungkook said quietly. Taehyung looked guilty and stricken at him, and Jimin shook his head.
“Taehyung practically tied me up and made me take the tests. He found out because he was here when I found out. I... I’m not even sure if I would have told Taehyung otherwise,” Jimin muttered. Hoseok took his hands back and waved them all towards the couch as Jungkook frowned, thinking about the new information they had.
Seokjin and Yoongi had been quietly listening from the couch, and Seokjin had his head tilted and eyes narrowed like a thoughtful bird.
“Why was it a secret? You know we love you, right?” he asked quietly. Jimin wrung his hands together and bit his bottom lip, standing nervously as the others got situated.
“It started because I didn’t know if I was going to keep it. I… I thought about it. Then I saw the ultrasound and made a decision. Then I didn’t want to tell anyone until I told Namjoon. But I haven’t been able to tell him yet.”
“Wait, tell Namjoon?” Hoseok gasped. “Holy shit, it’s NAMJOON’S baby?” The room erupts in sound for a moment, everyone talking over everyone as Jimin blinked in confusion.
“Who else’s baby would it be? I haven’t dated anyone!” Jimin protested. Yoongi held up a hand and waved it for a second until everyone calmed down.
“Donghyuk said he saw you out with someone else the weekend after you broke up with Namjoon.” The others, aside from Taehyung who looked livid, nodded.
“Unless he meant with ME, then no,” Taehyung snapped. Jimin felt all the blood drain from his face.
“After I broke up with Namjoon? Donghyuk said that it was me?”
“No… Namjoon said it was you who broke up with him,” Seokjin said slowly. Yoongi frowned a bit, now starting to look suspicious.
“No, that was definitely Namjoon,” Jungkook protested. “Taehyung and I came over afterwards. Jimin had set up like this whole dinner and was going to ask Namjoon to move in with him, and then Namjoon broke up with him. They didn’t even eat!”
Jimin just stared wordlessly, shaking his head a little.
“Why would he say that? Is that why he blocked me?” he muttered to himself.
“He BLOCKED you?!” Seokjin gasped.
“No, he didn’t. He waited for weeks thinking that Jimin might reach out.” Yoongi shook his head. Jimin reached into his pocket and unlocked his phone, pulling up his messages to Namjoon. He wordlessly handed it to Yoongi to read over. His face went stony after a moment.
“Let’s go back to the break up. I want to hear what happened from you.” He tugged Jimin to sit beside him. Yoongi handed his phone over to Seokjin, who went red in the face with suppressed anger at the blocked messages but stayed quiet when Jungkook rubbed a hand on his shoulder.
"I had gotten a key because I wanted Namjoon to move in and it was our sixth month anniversary. I set up dinner but Namjoon was kind of off? He didn’t kiss me when he came in, and he poked at his food a little. Then he told me it was obvious that we weren't the same amount of invested, and he didn't want to do this anymore and…I couldn't argue with him so I just agreed. " Jimin stopped to take a shaky breath.
"He said it was because you weren't interested in him anymore. He said he didn't think you were invested in him and you agreed that he was right." Yoongi shook his head, brows pulling up.
"I what? No. It was because I was more interested in him than he was with me. I was too clingy. I kept bothering him when he was busy with work and hanging off of him being too affectionate and he hates that." Jimin looked around at his friends, frowning when Seokjin’s face paled and his jaw dropped. Yoongi looked absolutely horrified and blinked rapidly at him. Jungkook and Hoseok both looked like they just watched someone kick a small dog. Taehyung’s face went hard as stone, brows creasing in the middle.
Jimin felt more confused than ever.
After a pause, Taehyung’s face relaxed into something more approachable, and he asked so, so gently, eyes big and more than a little sad.
"...Who told you that, Jimin?"
Jimin felt a little stupid, like he was missing something important but he wasn’t sure what.
"Donghyuk, he said…." Jimin trailed off and froze before dropping his face into his hands. He was such an idiot.
He never even asked Namjoon. He just started clinging less. Namjoon must have thought he was pulling away the whole time.
He hiccuped into sobs and put his hands over his face.
"It's all my fault. He thought I didn't love him. I ruined everything,” Jimin choked out around the thick lump in his throat. “I didn't want him to leave me so badly, and I didn't even talk to him about it. I was so in my head I didn't even consider that he didn't know." He sobbed brokenly and gasped for breath, shoulders shaking. Yoongi rubbed a hand up and down his back and Jungkook came over in front to hug him, petting his hair and making soft noises.
“It honestly seems like Donghyuk did all this on purpose.” Hoseok sounded more angry than Jimin had ever heard him before. “Donghyuk ‘saw’ Jimin on a date? He told Jimin he was too clingy and that Namjoon didn’t like that. And then said Jimin came over to gloat about the baby to Namjoon?”
“He would have had access to Namjoon’s phone, too. Do we think he could have blocked Jimin? It feels like he was orchestrating this whole thing.”
“But why did he do all this? I thought Donghyuk was Jimin’s friend,” Jungkook turned to ask.
“He is NOT my friend! Especially not after today!” Jimin shook his head and scrubbed at his face.
“What happened today? You never caught me up and then he said all that shit to Yoongi,” Taehyung prompted, leaning to hand Jimin a tissue.
Jimin took a deep breath, trying to collect his thoughts. Everything felt so overwhelming with the new information. He described the doctor’s appointment and his resolve to just wait at the apartment door until Namjoon arrived but Donghyuk answered.
“He said all this shit to me…” Jimin elaborated slowly, going over the situation and trying to make sure he portrayed it right. Remembering the sneer on Donghyuk’s face made Jimin feel a hot rush of shame and confusion all over again. Taehyung’s face fell into a frown and then slowly into absolute stony rage in a way Jimin had never seen before. Seokjin’s face and neck both went bright red, and he immediately started ranting, letting out a string of swears to turn the air blue.
“I’m gonna kill him,” Yoongi said, so serious that Jimin was taken aback.
“Yoongi, no.”
“Yoongi, yes! What the actual fuck?” Hoseok shouted. “He LIVES with Yoongi and said all that shit! What’s the matter with him! He put his hands on you!”
“Why didn’t you tell us immediately?” Jungkook asked Jimin quietly, looking equal parts frustrated, angry, and hurt.
“...I didn’t think anyone would believe me. I don’t really have any proof. He left a couple marks on my shoulder, but it seemed so out of character for him. He’s been friends with everyone for so long. Hearing all of this NOW it seems like his character but I didn’t know any of that this afternoon when I saw him. It just felt like it came out of nowhere.”
“He left marks on you?” Taehyung gasped and started lifting his sleeve. “He grabbed your arm?”
“N-no, my shoulder.” Jimin tugged his collar to the side, and they gasped. Seokjin resumed swearing and then stood to pace.
“Alright. We need to go back to my apartment and tell Namjoon what’s going on and get Donghyuk out of there. If he causes issues, we’ll get the police involved, but he’s not staying in a house with me tonight,” Yoongi nodded, stony faced and deadly calm.
“Now?” Jimin blinked, feeling panicked again. He hadn’t seen Namjoon in 4 months. He’d been apart from him almost as long as they were together. Everything had been so exhausting and now he was going to have to face him?
“Alright, we can go in Seokjin’s car if you can take Jimin in yours.” Jungkook clapped his hands together, nodding to Yoongi as he stood.
They walked down together, some quiet conversation happening between the others. Yoongi just held Jimin’s hand quietly as they went to his car. He didn’t press Jimin to talk at all, which he was thankful for.
As they drove, Jimin licked his bottom lip and took a deep breath.
“Namjoon had wanted to hear from me?” he asked quietly. Yoongi hesitated for a moment before nodding. “Do you think we could fix it? Or is it too late?”
“That seems like a question for Namjoon. I don’t know. There’s a lot to work through,” Yoongi said, glancing his eyes from the road for a second. Jimin nodded.
“Am I a coward?” he asked after another long moment. Yoongi startled in his seat and jerked his head to look at Jimin.
“What? Why would you be a coward?”
“This could have been solved months ago if I had just gone immediately and talked to Namjoon. Instead it just festered.”
“Okay… but you had no idea that Namjoon cared. You just found out you were pregnant with his baby and thought he dumped you because he didn’t love you. It’s totally rational to be scared about that.” Yoongi sighed and made a soft noise. “Knowing what Donghyuk said too, I understand a little bit more why you didn’t talk to us. Only a little though. I’m still a bit hurt you couldn’t trust me.”
“I felt like I couldn't trust myself,” Jimin admitted quietly. “It was like Donghyuk knew exactly what I was scared of and exploited it. I questioned my relationships with everyone after Namjoon. I was so sure about him and then I wasn’t sure about anything anymore.”
“...Are you sure I can’t just kill him?”
“Yes, I'm very sure.”
*** *** ***
The closer they got, the more anxious Jimin started to feel. He felt better that he wasn’t alone but he was scared of how Namjoon would react, too. What if he felt betrayed that Jimin hadn’t told him? Or didn’t believe that the baby was his? Or believed him but still didn’t want anything to do with him?
The others pulled up a moment after Yoongi had parked and everyone got out. Jimin tugged self consciously at his shirt, wishing he had stopped to get a baggier sweater to put over it. He shifted nervously, staring at the building like it was a monster.
Seokjin stared at him for a moment with that typical unreadable hyung face before he slid his hand into Jimin’s and gave it a squeeze.
“Whatever happens, you’re not alone,” he said softly and Jimin felt his chin wobble for a second with emotion. “Aigoo, our Jiminie,” Jin cooed and tickled under his chin with his other hand to make Jimin smile. Taehyung watched them, looking fond.
They walked up to the apartment like that, Seokjin still holding Jimin’s hand.
When they finally reached the apartment door Yoongi didn’t even pause before unlocking the door and striding in. He made a disgusted sound as the door swung open. Jimin saw over his shoulder and gasped.
Donghyuk was on Namjoon’s lap on the couch and they both looked up like deer caught in headlights.
“H-hyung, what?” Namjoon gasped and flushed bright red. Jimin’s stomach roiled, and he felt like he might cry, or throw up, or both. Out of all the scenarios his brain had managed to conjure up, this somehow hadn’t made the list.
“That piece of shit has quite a lot to answer to.” Yoongi pointed a finger at Donghyuk, who just scoffed in the back of his throat.
“I’m the piece of shit? Then what’s that?” he gestured at Jimin. Donghyuk slid off Namjoon’s lap and stood, crossing his arms across his chest. Yoongi sneered, baring his teeth a little. “How can you be standing there with him after what he did to Namjoon?”
“What exactly did he do to Namjoon?” Taehyung asked, leaning against the door with crossed arms. Jin squeezed Jimin’s hand where he still held it, and Jimin realized he was shaking a bit.
“I mean look at him. He’s all fat with someone else’s pup and came here to do what? Rub it in Namjoon’s face?” Donghyuk accused, sneering exactly the way he had done early in the day. Namjoon looked stricken, eyes wide as they focused on Jimin’s stomach.
“Oh? He said that to you today? Was that before or after you squeezed his shoulder so hard you left bruises and cut him with your nails?” Seokjin asked, tilting his head like he was looking at a particularly disgusting bug.
“I didn’t do shit to him!” Donghyuk scoffed. Namjoon looked back and forth between them before Hoseok tugged at Jimin’s neckline to show the marks. Donghyuk looked a little less sure of himself.
“And who blocked Jimin in Namjoon’s phone, Donghyuk? Didn’t you say that Jimin’s lack of contact was just proof that he hadn’t been invested in Namjoon?” Yoongi asked, low and dangerous. Donghyuk froze, and Jimin could see him gulp all the way across the room.
“What?” Namjoon whispered, looking stricken.
“Who told Jimin that Namjoon hated him for clinging to him?” Taehyung chimed in next, looking more frightening than Jimin had ever seen him before.
“....You did what?” Namjoon stood too at Donghyuk’s other side, eyes wide with betrayal and hurt.
“I wasn’t wrong!” Donghyuk protested. “He’s fucking pathetic and clingy. Always up in everyone’s lap and then crawling all over Namjoon like some kind of mold. He didn’t even care if Namjoon was talking or doing something, he’d be all over him.” Donghyuk wrinkled his nose up like he stepped in something disgusting as he looked at Jimin. “He didn’t even argue with me either. He knew he was annoying, too. I barely had to say anything!”
“Why would you do that? What’s the matter with you?” Jungkook snapped, moving forward a bit and being held back by Hobi’s restraining hand on his shoulder.
“I never understood what Namjoon saw in him in the first place. If Namjoon’s gotta be with a man he should be with a real man, not some fucking omega trash.” Donghyuk had barely gotten the sentence out before Yoongi chuckled a little, rubbed his thumb across the bottom of his nose, and stepped in to punch him hard across the face, sending him to the floor. Donghyuk’s nose splattered blood across the floor, and he grabbed at it with both hands
“What the fuck!”
“This omega trash just fucking broke your nose,” Yoongi replied. “You can get your shit and get the fuck out of my house.” Donghyuk looked confused.
“You’re not an o--”
“Promise, I am. Stereotypes don’t fit for you? Because they’re a bunch of bullshit, you manipulative little fuck! So you can find somewhere else to stay tonight; I don’t give a fuck where, and we’ll send you your shit.” Yoongi looked to Namjoon for confirmation and received a slow, grim nod.
“This is all your fault!” Donghyuk shouted and then lunged for Jimin with both hands. Jimin gasped, hands wrapping instinctively around his stomach in fear. Donghyuk didn’t get very far because Jungkook rushed forward and grabbed him by the collar. He bared his teeth at Donghyuk and snarled out a wordless cry of rage before he bodily dragged him out the door of the apartment, throwing him into the floor.
“If you even look at Jimin again, I’ll break your arms,” he threatened. Donghyuk stared, wide eyed with fear and blood dripping down his chin. Jimin couldn’t deny that it curled a sick thrill of satisfaction through his chest.
Hoseok shut the door and locked it behind them. Jimin almost expected Donghyuk to beat on it or scream or fight back, but it was quiet for a moment before Taehyung snatched Jungkook up to kiss him. Seokjin snorted a bit, and snagged Yoongi’s hand to rub his knuckles.
“What just happened? What was that?” Namjoon just stared, looking dumbstruck at the door. “He... All of that he said... What…”
“Jimin,” Hoseok prompted, patting his shoulder. “Has a few things he wants to talk with you about.” Jimin swallowed around the fear in his throat and nodded, walking over to sit on the couch. Namjoon fell back into his seat, eyes wide at Jimin.
“Let’s go clean out his room!” Hobi beamed and headed to Donghyuk’s room, dragging Tae and Jungkook with him. Yoongi and Seokjin gave Jimin an encouraging thumbs up before going to take care of Yoongi’s knuckles. Jimin and Namjoon were left alone in the living room.
He’d wanted to talk to Namjoon for so long, but now that they were in front of each other, he found himself at a loss for words.
Namjoon looked utterly shocked and off kilter. Jimin wanted to reach out and take his hand to comfort him, but he didn’t know if he should or not.
“Sorry. I’m---I’m trying to process this,” Namjoon said after a moment. “I can’t believe this. He was---was manipulating me? And you? This whole time. He…” Namjoon groaned and scrubbed his hands over his face. “I feel like I don’t know what’s real anymore.”
“I understand,” Jimin nodded. “That’s been me today, too.” He bit his lip. “I…. I tried to text you. A lot.” He fidgeted a little. Namjoon looked up, eyes wide. Jimin took a breath and continued. “I was really blind-sided, when you broke up with me. I had thought we were okay. Donghyuk had said you hated clingy people, and I just got so in my head about it. I should have talked to you about it.”
“He told me that meant you were pulling away.” Namjoon gulped, and his voice cracked. “He would point out that you clung to Taehyung or Jungkook but you only barely held my hand. Like it meant you didn’t really care about me.”
“I was scared to push you away by being too needy.” Jimin shook his head. “I… I really care about you. Still. But I was too scared to bring it up to you. I didn’t even ask you how you felt about it, and that was my fault. I can’t blame that on him.”
“I didn’t say anything either. I just went with it. It feels like he poisoned everything, but I let him.” Namjoon rested his face in his hands for a moment. “I feel like I’m going crazy.”
“I understand. I hate that I let him have this power over me.” Jimin took a deep breath and shook his head.
“Did he really block you on my phone?” Namjoon asked in a small voice. Jimin just unlocked his own phone and tapped on the messages he had sent to him and handed it over, even though it was honestly mortifying. Namjoon took it silently, looking over it with a solemn expression. He scrolled and Jimin felt his face go bright red with a blush. His embarrassment faded when Namjoon sniffled, face crumpling into tears.
Jimin didn’t think, just reacted, moving to hug Namjoon. He gasped in a little bit of surprise as Namjoon turned into his embrace and buried his face in his neck.
“I thought you didn’t care at all. That you didn’t even want to talk to me anymore. That it was just really easy for you to cut me out of your life like I didn’t exist. He kept telling me… and I…” Namjoon muttered brokenly, and Jimin felt his heart crack all over again.
Jimin didn’t know what to say to that so he just kissed the side of Namjoon’s head and rocked a little, rubbing his back gently. He felt like this was going to take a lot longer than one conversation to get past, but for the first time he let himself feel hopeful that they could.
Namjoon froze after a moment, and Jimin startled when he felt Namjoon’s broad hand slide over the curve of his belly.
“Ah. So.. I also needed to---to talk to you about that.” Jimin took a deep breath. Namjoon sat back up, eyes and the tip of his nose red. He looked heartbroken all over again.
“You’re really pregnant? I thought he was lying again. You--”
“I’m going to stop you, because he told Yoongi the same thing.” Jimin cut him off. “I’m 20 weeks along.” Jimin watched Namjoon calculate for a moment in his head, and then his eyes popped wide. His other hand pressed the soft swell of Jimin’s belly, cradling it between both his hands.
“What? But---how? It’s… Mine?” he asked, disbelieving. His hands shook a little, thumbs trembling against his skin.
“Yours. That last time, I think there was a hole in the condom. I wasn’t sure, and then I thought I had just missed my heat from stress.” Jimin explained and then grabbed his phone again and unlocked it, pulling up the image he had taken of the ultrasound. “I came to show you, but I met Donghyuk at the door instead. He came up with his own narrative for it.”
“Oh my God.” Namjoon gasped and stared at the image with shock and wonder written across his face. “That’s… we have a baby?”
“We do.” Jimin nodded and ran his hand through his hair nervously. “I… I didn’t get to ask you about it, I--”
“You tried. It’s… I don’t want to be sorry forever. I don’t want everything to be tainted by him. It’s in the past. I don’t want him to ruin everything.” He frowned and then grabbed his own phone and checked that Jimin was unblocked before sending the picture to him. “We have a choice in how we can treat this, and I think… I think I choose to be happy about this.”
Jimin sagged in relief and tried not to cry again, leaning into Namjoon. It felt like the months of worry were melting under the warmth of a spring sun.
It wasn’t perfect, but it was a damn sight better than he had even hoped for.
*** ** ****
Namjoon and Jimin decided to try again, trying not to let Donghyuk’s manipulations ruin any chance they may have had together. It wasn’t as easy as the first time they tried.
But some things were easy. It was easy to love Namjoon. He never really stopped. It made the things that were hard easier to deal with.
Their friends and their support helped immensely.
Couples therapy also helped, even if sometimes it left him and Namjoon feeling exhausted as they worked through all their issues and the betrayal from Donghyuk.
After a month or so of going back and forth from their two apartments, Jimin dug the key back out and came clean during therapy about the break up dinner, where he had been planning to ask Namjoon to move in with him. Namjoon ended up crying again, and Jimin felt terrible about it but he didn’t want anything to be misunderstood between them anymore. With the therapist’s blessing, Namjoon took the key gratefully and started moving in the next week, and Yoongi took the plunge and moved in with Seokjin, so they had a group moving party at Yoongi and Namjoon’s old apartment to get everything packed and ready to go.
Jimin’s pregnancy progressed as normal, swollen feet and cramps in his back and weird cravings, but having Namjoon there helped. He put back on some of the weight he had lost due to the stress and fatigue. Namjoon rubbed his feet every evening when they swelled up the worst and liked to play his music through headphones on Jimin’s belly. Dr. Jon stopped making worried faces when he went in for checkups, and they decided to wait until birth to find out the gender of the baby.
Namjoon painted the spare room a sunshine yellow and Taehyung painted a large canvas with a family of ducklings to go on the wall. Yoongi and Seokjin helped put together all the furniture and Jungkook helped move it all into place. Jimin had a rocking chair set up in there, and he liked to sit in it sometimes and rock back and forth when he started worrying about the future.
**** ** ****
Birth was not something Jimin ever wanted to even think about again. He had no idea how anyone would do that and then have another child. Never.
The only good thing, the best moment, was hearing Dr. Jon proclaim “It’s a girl!” before laying her down on Jimin’s bare chest while he cried. Namjoon pushed his sweaty hair back from his face and kissed his forehead. They had been allowed to have one other person in the room, so Taehyung had stayed was snapping pictures rapidly while crying.
“Look what you made,” Namjoon murmured and choked up, stroking the tip of a finger over one of her tiny hands.
“We have a baby,” Jimin smiled, still crying and nuzzled his nose against her soft cheek.
“We need to pick a name,” Namjoon reminded him, resting his cheek on the top of Jimin’s head to just stare at her. It was so surreal. She was really here in his arms, beet red and a little ugly in that way all newborns were. Jimin had never fallen in love so fast in his life.
“She’s so beautiful,” Taehyung sniffled and tilted the camera to get another picture of her tiny feet poking out of the blanket.
Jimin had honestly thought people were crazy for commenting about how beautiful newborns were or how they had one parent's eyes or nose or mouth, but looking down at her, he could see Namjoon’s button nose just like he had thought from the ultrasound, the tilt of his own eyebrows and his own pout in miniature.
“I think you have the list on your phone. We had a few options?” Jimin asked, leaning more into Namjoon. He nodded and pulled out his phone to scroll to the note they had written.
“First one is Eunji, then Hyemi and Minji,” he read out. Jimin stroked down the downy soft skin of her cheek.
“I think Hyemi?” He looked up at Namjoon, who smiled down at him.
“Hyemi it is,” he agreed.
“Your turn to hold her.” Jimin smiled and lifted her oh so carefully in his arms. Namjoon looked briefly panicked until she was settled in a safe little bundle against his chest. She cooed softly, and Namjoon’s face was so in love it almost looked stricken and he grinned up at Jimin, teary eyed and dimpled. Taehyung snapped about 80 photos in a row and then beamed.
“These are the most perfect pictures of my entire life.” He turned the camera to show Jimin, scrolling through the progression of Namjoon’s smile slowly growing across his face. Jimin just smiled at him and lolled his head back against the pillows tiredly. Taehyung smacked a big gross kiss to his cheek and then went to bother Namjoon, stroking his finger down the bottom of Hyemi’s foot gently, exclaiming softly when she curled up her tiny toes.
“Oh no…” he murmured, crestfallen.
“What?” Namjoon frowned in concern
“I want twelve,” Taehyung sighed and dropped his cheek against Namjoon’s shoulder. Namjoon burst out a surprised laugh and shook his head.
“You just watched me give birth and you still want twelve?” Jimin asked in disbelief. Taehyung just nodded, staring at Hyemi all starry eyed.
The rest of their friends were allowed to come in later, after Jimin had gotten a short nap and a quick clean up. They piled in the room, and Taehyung showed them pictures he had taken. Namjoon told them her name and gently passed her to Yoongi, who smiled a wide, gummy smile down at her.
“Hi, Hyemi. I’m Uncle Yoongi. I’m gonna be your favorite,” he told her softly, chuckling when Hoseok and Seokjin both started to sputter protests.
“Taehyung said he wants twelve. Good luck.” Namjoon patted Jungkook and Hoseok on the back and then laughed when they paled and stared wide eyed at Taehyung, who just nodded with a wide grin.
Jimin just smiled as he watched his friends hold the baby, surrounded by love and their happiness.
He was glad he’d made it here.