why me?

XIII

Jungkook closed the front door behind him, the sounds of Yoongi and Taehyung playing in the living room greeting him. He smiled as he took off his shoes and coat before he walked towards the sounds. He was met with the sight of the two littles playing with cars on the carpet, a half-asleep Jimin sitting on the couch.

Jungkook chuckled softly. The sound caused the sleepy boy on the couch to jump up. He looked around before his eyes met Jungkook's.

"I was watching the kids, I swear!"

Jungkook snorted at the near desperate tone of Jimin's voice and shook his head. "No worries hyung, Jin hyung didn't see this time. I'll take over, you go take a nap okay?"

Jimin nodded and sleepily rubbed his eyes before he got up. Taehyung looked over and gasped. "Dada gon take nap? Taetae wan join pwease!" The little jumped up and ran towards jimmy, grabbing onto the elder's small hand. "Pwetty pwease? Taetae wiww wie very stiww!"

The smaller boy cooed, not having the heart to say no, and held out his hand. "C'mon baby, let's go hm?", he smiled softly, though he knew he'd regret it later once Taehyung would stretch out like a starfish on the bed and would accidentally push him off the bed, only to proceed to lie on top of Jimin after he climbed back in bed.

Taehyung happily followed him to Jimin's room, leaving Yoongi with Jungkook. The youngest sat down on the couch, smiling as he watched Yoongi staring at him for a while. The little crawled over, curiosity visible in his eyes as he stared at the boy

"Hi there bub, wanna join me on the couch?", Jungkook smiled and helped Yoongi onto the couch, laughing as the elder threw himself against his chest and hugged him tightly as he giggled.

"Koo!", Yoongi squealed and snuggled closer before looking up at him. "Koo hab nice talk wif thewapist? Is it nice pewson?", the little bombarded Jungkook with questions. Jungkook held the bouncing boy still as he patiently answered each one of them.

"Yeah, it was really nice. And mhm, my therapist is a very nice woman!", he said, making Yoongi gasp. The elder boy looked around to make sure no one was near before he leaned in to whisper.

"Does she... Does she hab sweets in da office?.."

Jungkook snorted and nodded. "Mhm, she has very yummy lollipops. I'll bring one next time, okay? But shh, don't tell Jin hyung!"

—

"... I want to try to slip."

It took a few moments before Seokjin turned around from where he was stirring the stew he made for dinner, a spoon in his hand, and a pink apron tied around his waist.

"What did you say, Jungkook?", Seokjin looked confused, though there was a hint of a smile on his face. Jungkook gulped, clenching his fists before he stepped forward.

"I want to try to slip. Like, here, at home, with you guys", he clarified, biting his lip nervously as he waited for an answer.

Seokjin turned to the counter, putting his spoon away very seriously before he nearly tackled Jungkook to the ground in a hug, his laughter filling the room.

Jungkook was confused but hugged back nonetheless. "So, does that mean that's okay? It's fine if you guys don't have time, I can wait-"

Seokjin interrupted him with a poke to the side, pouting. "Yah, we always have time for you Jungkookie! I know we handled things wrong in the past, but we changed. This is a safe space for you and you can slip whenever you want", he said, squishing Jungkook's cheeks as he made the youngest look at him.

Jungkook could tell from Seokjin's serious look that he was not joking or lying, and a nice warmth settled in his chest.

"So, when do you want to try? Just tell us what to do and we'll help", another voice joined in, making Jungkook jump before he realized it was Hoseok. The boy had a smile on his face, which made Jungkook feel calmer.

"Thanks. I don't know when I want to try yet. I'll let you know", he said softly, making Seokjin nod in satisfaction. "Good good. Now, dinner is ready!", he called out, making all seven boys rush to the table in an instant.

Hoseok told them the plan after Jungkook let him know it was okay, resulting in the rest of dinner being filled with everyone hugging Jungkook. The youngest didn't mind the extra attention, he rather enjoyed it. It calmed his nerves slightly, though the buzzing at the back of his mind wouldn't stop annoying him.

—

Jungkook looked at the display of objects on the table in front of him, his heartbeat slowly rising a bit. A cold hand on his back snapped him out of his slowly escalating train of thoughts. He looked up to see Yoongi smiling softly.

"Take your time, we can stop at any time", he said softly, sitting down next to Jungkook. He took a look at the items and smiled softly.

The objects were very randomly selected, though they all had one thing in common. They could easily be used to make Jungkook slip. Bunbun was in the middle of the row, a brand new pacifier and some toys filling up the rest of the space.

Jungkook took a few moments to think about it. "Can you all sit over there? Except for Yoongi hyung...", he said, pointing at the chairs a few feet away from the couch. Jimin, still a bit sleepy, nodded and smiled, guiding the others to the spot.

Jungkook took a deep breath before he slowly reached out to Bunbun, grabbing the stuffed animal and feeling the fabric in between his fingers for a bit. He lifted it to his face to sniff it before he curled up, clutching the toy to his chest. When he opened his eyes, they were wide and doe-like, looking like a scared deer.

Yoongi cooed softly and smiled at him. "Hi bub, did you slip?"

Jungkook shyly nodded and made himself even smaller, cautiously looking over to the other members. "They won't do anything bub, hyung promises", Yoongi whispered to the youngest, opening his arms for a hug.

Jungkook hesitated before he leaned forward and curled up in Yoongi's arms. "Hyungie... Koo scawed..."

Oh wow, I just saw that this book hit 1.8K! That honestly makes me really happy, thank you!

Please let me know what you think of the story. Constructive feedback and requests are always welcome. Stay safe everyone!

- S