His Serendipity || •PJM• ✔️

The Unicorn Grave

Jimin

She didn't come to my birthday party.

Unicorn decorations were scattered around the pink walls of my room—the walls I had painted for that occasion. A half-broken speaker sputtered out the words to a One Direction song I had memorized thanks to her. I had sewn up her old unicorn plushie, the one I had bought her when she had first been adopted. I got a new one, too. Just in case she wanted her first unicorn to have a buddy.

There were wrapped gifts in the corner, all of which put in pink paper and bags. In the corner was a wooden table that had a chocolate milkshake and a vanilla one. I had wanted to drink my vanilla one, but I chose to wait for my sister to arrive.

My siblings were out doing whatever it was they did. Gage, the youngest, was likely clinging to my mom and dad, though they weren't paying attention. I hoped Gage would be distracted long enough for me to celebrate Caira's birthday. I just needed a few minutes.

The unicorn decorations stared at me. A balloon floated in the room, and I knelt in front of it.

"Hey, CC," I said, taking the old plushie I got her and holding it against my chest. "It's my birthday. I'm twenty-four now, and I graduated college summa cum laude last spring. Guess what? Your big bro is going to be a lawyer."

I stopped and peered up at the balloon, watching as it danced in the gentle breeze coming from the air conditioner. In October, there was some heat left in the air, though snow had begun to fall and coated the roads in ice. I opted to keep the AC going. She had preferred warmth and summer over cold and winter, but the cool temperature felt necessary.

"I miss you. I'm sorry I didn't say it earlier."

Sorry didn't mean anything. My little sister was gone, lost to a void that took as many souls as it could. She didn't even get a chance to turn twenty-one. The stress had been too much, and unaddressed health issues kept stacking up. Her schedule had been far too hectic to allow her to see doctors and fix her heart issues, and with the constant stress, it led to them getting worse. One year ago on that same day, October 13th, she had been put in an early grave. A grave I hadn't seen since I had been too busy getting drunk elsewhere. Even mom and dad had seen it.

I was too much of a coward to visit her actual burial site, so I made one for her, one she would have liked more: a unicorn grave. Tears came to my eyes, but I held them back. For her sake; she had always hated seeing me cry.

"I'm sorry I'm late," I whispered, squeezing the plushie more than I intended to. "I'm here now, kiddo. I'm not going anywhere."

No voices answered me. I could hear Gage whining in the other room, so I sighed and kissed the top of the plushie's head. Once I was done, I set it down next to the balloon and stood. She was gone, but that didn't mean I had to be too. Mom and dad were assholes who never cared about their children. I wouldn't make the same mistake.

The chocolate and vanilla milkshakes were on the table, and I stared at the vanilla one. It had beads of sweat dripping down its side and soaking the wood underneath it. In the distance, Gage kept whining, and I nodded to myself before stepping back.

I swallowed my tears and straightened my posture. "I'll take care of them. I promise."

The setting sun peeking in through the windows waved at me, almost as if saying goodbye as night took over. The rainbow colors of the unicorn decorations lit up the otherwise empty room, and I shut off the speakers. One Direction's music no longer blessed my ears. All that was left was Gage's cries and my quiet sniffles that held in the moisture swarming my eyes.

I went to the door, but I couldn't leave yet. My eyes flicked back to the milkshakes. No ice cream cake sat between them, and I made a mental note to pick up a unicorn-themed one with Gage later. Then, and only then, would I feel at peace. For the time being, I had a little brother to take of.

Without another word, I left the milkshakes behind.

THE END

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A/n: That's it. Like I said, it was a short, open to interpretation story. I'm getting more into short story writing. My Wattpad readers know I wrote Delivered, 5:56 p.m., and I'm in the process of writing One More Step, another short story.

This story was based on a dream I had. The dream was the arcade chapter where Jimin decided to ditch his family despite promising to stay. This story is meant to be a progression from a close bond between siblings to a deteriorating family that's been separated by life. There are themes of the impacts of alcoholism and abuse on children, and Caira and Jimin handled it in different ways. Jimin turned to alcohol and isolationism to cope while Caira sacrificed herself to keep the other kids going.

It's a sad story, but I feel a necessary one. I hope you guys enjoyed reading this, and I'll see you in the next book!

My incubus PJM x reader story, A Demon's Sin, has a loose release date of June 1st, though I would like to get it out earlier. Keep your eyes peeled for that! Thank you for reading, and if you liked what you read, I hope you consider following to see more from me in the future!