‘ ,’ Jimin hears it in his ears and he tries to ignore it as much as he can but the words ring inside his mind and he can’t turn it off and he feels like he is doing something but bad but he knows he isn’t.

Jimin’s mother was fairly religious and Jimin went to church every Sunday. And he heard the sermons that the father told and there was this particular verse that always stood out to him.

"If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them."

It wasn’t that Jimin thought a lot about it in particular. It just stood out to him because he really couldn’t understand why the all accepting god wouldn’t accept the gays. What was so wrong in loving a boy but he never did get the answer.

There were accepting hums agreeing with what the father had just said and then Jimin would look at his mom and she had the same look on her face like everyone else.

And that is what he keeps hearing in his ears as Jungkook kisses him his hand sliding above Jimin’s shirt eliciting an moan from Jimin. He feels Jungkook’s mouth moving to his neck slightly and nibbling because he knows Jimin has a thing for his neck and Jungkook is a tease.

The shirt’s off of Jimin’s body and Jimin feels slightly self-conscious as he sees Jungkook eyeing him.

“You’re beautiful,” Jungkook says in a hushed voice as their lips meet again in a heated kiss and Jungkook has his hands on Jimin’s chest.

Soon Jimin is pushed down and Jungkook is on top of Jimin and they continue to kiss. Jimin has grown used to the strange taste of ash and what tastes like peppermint. In fact, Jimin loves the taste of Jungkook’s mouth that it’s addicting.

The shrill sounds of a phone ringing interrupt the peace. It’s Jungkook’s phone.

Jungkook gets up and gets the phone from the table and answers it. His expression turns sour.

“ you,” he curses before hanging up when he meet’s Jimin eyes which are full of confusion.

“Who was that?”

“No one,” Jungkook answers.

Jimin isn’t convinced but he nods.

“Jimin babe I have to go,” he says.

Jimin nods.

“I’ll see you later okay, take care,”

Jimin nods again as Jungkook kisses him briefly before he grabs his jacket and leaves and Jimin sits on the bed until he moves too gathering all the takeout boxes that litter the floor

Time flies by too fast when Jungkook is around and Jimin has a paper that he still needs to write and with a sigh, he sits down with his laptop and by the time it’s 12 am he finally finishes it and is satisfied by how it has turned out and clicks save.

He sends a quick goodnight text to Jungkook and then falls asleep.

The diner is almost always full now and Seokjin has to hire someone new and he brought in a guy named Hoseok who was just a year older than Jimin himself and was a dancer. Jimin could only think about how much his mother would have disapproved if he had taken up a profession like dancing but then he sees how happy Hoseok is in his life and he can’t help but be a little envious because he is stuck doing something he is not the happiest with. But then again he has no choice in that matter.

But still, Jimin likes Hoseok because he is nice to talk to and always has a smile on his face and he helps around a lot. Seokjin seems happier than ever and that makes Jimin happy too because he had seen Seokjin suffer a lot but now the diner was finally getting the recognition it should have and Seokjin gave Jimin his promised pay rise.

Namjoon is around as much as he is able to and Seokjin seems particularly close to him. They almost look like they are dating but Jimin guesses it’s because they are just that close to each other.

All in all, Jimin is glad because how things are been going in the diner because for once he likes to come to work.

Being with Jungkook meant that Jimin had to meet almost all of his friends something that Jimin has always been hesitant about. But they are nice to Jimin constantly teasing especially Taehyung but he usually shuts up when Yoongi gives him a glare. Then there’s Sana who is always sweet to him and so is Yugyeom who seems to be the closest to Jungkook and Nayeon who sings all the time.

They are all bad people a voice reminds Jimin as he sits with them when they pass around cigarettes and drink cans of beers at a time but he always reminds himself to not judge people by what they do and how they live.

The people at the church didn’t have a lifestyle like this. They were proper uptight people who went to Sunday mass and for them, everything which caused pleasure was a sin and for the longest time, Jimin believed that but he doesn’t anymore.

Because now when he looks at Jungkook’s friends he sees them in a different light than most people would do. They don’t give them judgmental looks when Jungkook leans in to kiss Jimin. They are more accepting than any of the church folk ever were and that’s why Jimin likes them better than any people he has ever met.

He feels at home with them

…

Jimin makes his way to the hospital lobby and he smiles at a few of the familiar nurses whom he has known for years now ever since his mother has been here.

He finally reaches her room and the first thing he does is to replace the dried up flowers that are in the vase beside her. He places fresh tulips in them instead, his mother’s favorite before sitting beside her.

“Happy Birthday mom,” he says.

He takes his mother’s hand and kisses it lightly and of course, there is no response. Jimin didn’t really even expect one.

“I miss you,” he says.

His mother still lies motionless but Jimin continues to talk as if she is there right beside him listening to what he is saying.

“Do you remember the time I planned a surprise for you?” he asks. “And you cried. I wish I can do that again someday”

Jimin pauses a little.

“University is been going really good. All my teachers like me and I try my best to keep up and I have mostly As so that’s good right,”

He continues.

“Seokjin hyung’s diner has been doing really well. I get a lot of tips now so that makes everything easy and I am very happy for hyung because he deserves it so much you know,”

“Everything’s been going good,” he finally says.

He contemplates whether he should tell her about Jungkook but then decides against it because it doesn’t matter and she doesn’t have to know.

“I just want you to wake up,” he says as he lets a few tears slip.

“This is your birthday and I shouldn’t cry but I really miss you,” he says as he kisses her hands again.

He watches his mother’s chest heave up and down and he looks at her face that has withered so much. He leans in and kisses her forehead.

“I’ll see you soon mom,” he says as he gets up and leaves taking one last look at his mother chest heavy with grief.

He walks back without stopping to talk or acknowledge anyone and then he gets a call from Jungkook.

“Wanna watch a movie?” he asks.

“Yeah, okay,” Jimin says. “Your place or mine?”

“Yours duh,”

“Okay,” Jimin says. He could use the distraction.

“All right I’ll see you in 2 hours,”

“Okay bye,”

“Bye,” Jungkook hangs up.

Jimin walks to the bus stop his mind clouded with Jungkook. He sometimes just can’t understand the other. Jungkook talks a lot and shares everything with Jimin but there are so many things that Jimin doesn’t know about him. The bruises that he always has and how he earns money or why does he never take Jimin to his home and insists they hang out at his.

Jimin has never let anyone get as close to him as Jungkook. The boy has kissed him, held him and seen him in ways he wouldn’t even ever imagine anyone else seeing him but still, they felt like strangers who barely knew anything about each other.

Jimin finally reaches his home and cleans up everything and then sits down to study when Jungkook comes this time with some Thai food but Jimin doesn’t care about the stupid food because Jungkook his sporting bloody knuckles messily covered up by bandages and a black eye and a deep cut on his cheek.

“Hey Jimin,” he says in a nervous voice something that he only uses when he finds Jimin staring at his questionable state.

“Hey,” Jimin simply says.

Jungkook almost seems satisfied that Jimin has once again decided not to question his state but Jimin has other plans. He isn’t gonna let him off the hook this easy.

“I brought Thai, you love Thai food right?”

“Yeah,”

Jungkook leans in and kisses Jimin and Jimin kisses him back as Jungkook puts on a movie on his laptop that he has brought along with him and it’s some animated movie but Jimin isn’t paying much attention his mind mostly engulfed in the thoughts of his mom and his boyfriend.

However, Jungkook is quick to notice.

“Everything all right babe?” he asks.

Jimin just nods.

“You sure?”

Jimin nods again as Jungkook pauses the movie and turns around so that he is facing Jimin.

“Tell me what is it?”

“I told you it’s nothing,”

“No, there is something that is bothering you and I have to know,”

“Kookie-,”

“N