Author's Note: Some angst ahead >.<

It started when Jimin and his parents were having dinner one night and his mom had casually asked him if he had a girlfriend, making him freeze.
 

"N-No, mom... what makes you say that?" replied Jimin as he tried to keep his fidgeting to a minimum by reaching out for his glass.
 

"It's just that you've been happier than usual lately, so I thought a girl might be in the picture." explained his mom with a smile, Jimin shook his head with vigor and continued eating.
 

The subject was dropped after that and a few days later, it was brought up again. This time, it was on a Saturday and Jin had come over for lunch.
 

"Seokjin, do you know if our Jimin has a girl he likes?" asked Mrs. Park as she stirred something in a pot.
 

Jimin, who was cutting up some vegetables, slowed his chopping and hesitantly looked up at Jin; the latter was next to him and leaning against the counter. Jin looked up at Mrs. Park with a somewhat surprised expression, but blinked and smiled a little before shaking his head.
 

"He doesn't... I would have known about it." he replied, saying the last part while still smiling, but his eyes were questioning as he looked back at Jimin; the latter went back to cutting vegetables.
 

"Ah, that's right! Jimin tells you everything, right?" said Mrs. Park with a big smile as she turned down the heat of the stove, she then wiped her hands on a dish towel and beamed at Jin.
 

"Let me know the minute he starts showing interest in someone, will you, Seokjin? Jimin is so shy when it comes to that, he would never tell us on his own." she said with a laugh.
 

Jin only nodded as he forced a smile this time, Mrs. Park seemed happy with that and gave each a pat on the shoulder before leaving the kitchen. Once she was out of earshot, Jin turned his attention towards Jimin.
 

"You... haven't come out to your parents yet?" asked Jin, making sure to keep his voice down.
 

"It's out of the question that I do that." said Jimin, his shoulders sagging a bit as he stopped cutting vegetables.
 

"Why?" asked Jin with a confused frown.
 

"N-Not all parents are as accepting as yours, Jin hyung, I don't know how my parents will react if -" Jimin cut himself off as he cautiously looked towards the kitchen's entrance, "If I tell them I prefer boys instead of girls." he finished in a lower voice.
 

"I'm sure they'll still accept you." said Jin as he reached out and brushed some hair from Jimin's eyes.
 

"You're their son, after all." he added with a warm smile.
 

Jimin didn't say anything and silently slid the chopped vegetables into the simmering pot, he then went to the sink to wash his hands. He jumped a little in surprise when he felt Jin's hands on his shoulders from behind and even though the older has done this even in front of his parents, Jimin still felt a little uneasy as he glanced at the kitchen's entrance again.
 

"I'll understand if you want to keep our relationship a secret from them for now, Jimin, I don't want to pressure you into anything. Just know I'm here for you, okay?" said Jin, he gave Jimin's shoulders an assuring squeeze and the younger felt his chest constrict a bit.
 

He knows he can't do this to Jin, he knows Jin deserves to be acknowledged as his boyfriend, but Jimin's starting to feel a little scared. He doesn't care too much if strangers frown upon their relationship because they're just strangers, the only opinion he fully cares about is that of his parents. Jin noticed that Jimin had spaced out because the water was still running even though his hands were already clean and dry. The older reached out to turn off the sink and slightly turned Jimin so he could look into his face, the younger had noticeable gone pale.

"Jimin..." called Jin in a soft voice, the younger snapped out of whatever he was thinking and looked up with big eyes.
 

"It's okay. Whatever you're thinking about, it's okay." assured Jin with a gentle smile.

Jimin felt like he could cry in that moment, but he just slid his arms around Jin's waist instead and rested his now throbbing head on Jin's shoulder. The older hugged him close and soothingly rubbed Jimin's back, a thoughtful frown on his own face. He honestly didn't want to demand anything of Jimin and he wasn't going to, Jimin would tell his parents everything when he was good and ready. His only worry was Mr. and Mrs. Park finding out through someone else.

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Taehyung knew something was wrong the minute he saw Jimin Monday morning. He was waiting for Jimin by the latter's locker when his friend came with a sluggish walk and a tired expression.
 

"Are you okay?" asked Taehyung in concern as he placed a hand on Jimin's arm.
 

The latter only nodded and opened his locker, Taehyung saw the dark circles under his eyes and the lack of sparkle in them was a bit unsettling.
 

"Are things okay between you and Jin hyung?" asked Taehyung cautiously, Jimin had told him the situation with his parents and about wanting to keep his relationship on the down low for now.
 

Jimin nodded again without a word as he grabbed his needed books and stuffed them into his book bag then closed his locker. He slung his bag over his shoulder and was about to walk off, but Taehyung caught him by the arm and turned him back around.
 

"You know we're all here for you if you have something on your mind, right? We'll listen without asking questions if that's what you want." said Taehyung, there was a moment of silence before the suppressed tears finally escaped from Jimin's eyes.
 

His face scrunched up and Taehyung was quick in pulling Jimin into a hug before the latter started sobbing into his shoulder while clinging on to him. Since it was still early, there weren't any students in the halls right now and Taehyung was thankful for that; he didn't want anyone to see Jimin in this state. Taehyung closed his eyes and felt his heart ache for his friend, who sounded really upset as he continued to cry, and hugged him tighter. He felt a hand on his shoulder just then and opened his eyes to see Jungkook beside him and eyeing Jimin with an unreadable expression.
 

"Who made Jimin hyung cry?" asked Jungkook, his tone stating he was ready to start something if he had to.
 

"No one, Kookie, he's just upset about something." replied Taehyung as he softly patted Jimin's back, the latter's sobs eventually calmed down and he was now just letting out an occasional whimper or sniff.
 

Jungkook reached out and placed a hand on Jimin's back, making the latter turn his head in his direction and look up. The maknae felt his chest twinge a bit when he saw how red and swollen Jimin's eyes were.
 

"What are you upset about, hyung?" asked Jungkook.
 

"I-I'm scared." admitted the latter, his voice coming out soft and brittle as he lowered his gaze and clung on to Taehyung some more.
 

"Why?" asked Taehyung softly as he nuzzled Jimin's ha