"Berry, berry, strawberry!!"
Hobi happily sings to himself as he eats a few strawberries while sitting in between Dawon and Jimin, the three currently in Dr. Kwon's office.
After the major shock of Hobi's return, they quickly had the doctor come in to check on him, but Hobi began to cry and cling onto Dawon, saying that he was scared of the doctor and the nurses, all being strangers to him.
So Dawon and Jimin had to hold Hobi's hand and comfort him while the doctor did his check up. He decided to wait until later to ask Hobi questions.
For a moment, time stalls as Jimin takes in what was going on.
He is happy that Hoseok is awake, surprised Hobi is back, but nervous because its been an hour and Hobi hasn't shifted to the other alters, or Hoseok.
"Hobi, are you ready to talk to me?" Dr. Kwon asks, speaking calmly as to not make Hobi nervous.
Hobi nods his head, happily munching on his strawberries.
"Okay Hobi, where is Hoseok?"
Hobi shrugs. "I don't know." He says nonchalantly, and continues to munch on his strawberries.
Both Dawon and Jimin share uneasy glances at each other. Normally Hobi would tell him of Hoseok's whereabouts, so the fact that he doesn't know is alarming.
"Okay, what about...Jay?" The doctor asks, yet Hobi shrugs again and turns to his sister.
"Noona, I want to go home." He complains, giving his sister a triangular pout as he tugs on her sleeve, already bored of the doctor and his questions.
"Not yet Hobi, the doctor has a few more questions to ask." Dawon calmly tells him, yet Hobi was not happy with that.
"I want to go home now!" Hobi whines loudly and begins to thrash in his seat. Mentally he is a small child, but physically he is a grown man, so it was hard for Dawon to control him.
"Hobi, please calm down!" Dawon begs him, especially when she sees the doctor reaching for the phone to call the nurses.
"Hobi, look at me." Jimin speaks in satoori, the firm yet coldness of it was enough to make Hobi stop and look at Jimin with sad eyes. "You will go home soon, but first you need to let the doctor do his job." Jimin softens his tone and takes Hobi's hand. "Please, do this for me."
"But hyung...I'm scared of him." Hobi whispers as he looks at Dr. Kwon, then to Jimin again. "Please, take me home." He pleads with such a small voice that it stabs Jimin right in the heart.
Then it dawns on Jimin why Hobi would be scared of the doctor. It's because Hobi is scared of the Mad Doctor, and that fear has projected itself onto other doctors.
"How about this, I'll send him home for the remainder of his recovery, but-" the doctor looks to Dawon. "The royal council will hear of this, and once they know that he's out of the hospital, they will come for him and take him into police custody until the trial starts."
It was like one bad thing after another, a constant wave of bad luck just washing over the Jung siblings, pushing them further into a sea of troubles. Dawon eases out a low sigh, the heavy weight of dread sits firmly on her shoulders, constantly keeping her on edge.
"I will keep my brother with me until the trial begins." Dawon states.
"But your highness-"
"I won't hear another word of it." Dawon raises her tone, shutting up the doctor. "I will keep my brother with me until the day of the trial. If the royal council has a problem with that, they can personally come to me and talk about it." She abruptly stands to her feet, her knees buckle under that heavy weight of dread. "When can my brother be discharged from the hospital."
The doctor gulps, feeling small under the queen's glare. He understands her frustrations and only wants to help them. "He can be released tomorrow morning. After that, I'll have a nurse go to the mansion everyday to check up on him."
"Noo, I want to go home now." Hobi begins to cry, clinging onto Jimin for support.
"Will it be alright if I stay with him?" Jimin asks, knowing its best that someone who Hobi is comfortable with stays with him.
"I was going to offer that suggestion." The Doctor smiles at him.
With that said and done, they escorted Hobi back to his room with Jimin. He cried when Dawon had to leave, but she promised him she'll come back for him tomorrow.
That whole night, Hobi cried and complained about wanting to go home. It lasted a few hours until he fell asleep in Jimin's arms.
The next morning, the nurses helped Jimin get Hobi ready to leave. They tried to clean Hobi's wound, but he screamed at them to not touch him.
The poor child felt so traumatized being poked by needles and examined all over.
Eventually they cleaned his wound and applied fresh bandages. After that, they escorted him out the room in a wheelchair, to which he happily enjoyed.
"Jimin hyung, let's go vroom-vroom!!"
"Maybe later." Jimin airs out a chuckle as they take the elevator down to the parking garage, where Dawon and the royal guards are waiting.
They enter the car and leave the hospital in secret so that the news reporters wont harass them, which they have constantly been doing since the coronation.
The drive back home was quiet. Hobi fell asleep during the ride, giving Dawon and Jimin a break as they talked about what will happen next.
"If they take him away, he's going to suffer, especially since he's in little space." Dawon breathes out a low sigh as she looks to her brother sleeping with his head on her shoulder. "We don't have alot of time left Jimin. The trial is soon and I have no idea if my brother will ever be himself again."
"Hoseok will come back, I'm sure of it." Jimin tells her with a soft smile. "I will help you with him since I have experience with the alters."
Dawon looks relieved. Its the first time in a while that she visibly showed that emotion. "Thank you so much Jimin." Dawon places her hand upon his thigh, giving Jimin a a smile that mirrors her brothers. "I'm so happy you are here with him...with us."
Jimin's heart flutters alittle, feeling happy to help. He understands the queen is under alot of pressure and its taking a toll on her. If he can help alleviate her worries, even if its alittle, then he will happily do it.
Dawon has been very good to him while he stood in her mansion, even taking care of him when he had his injuries. They've gotten very close over the week. He sees her like an older sister and understands why Hoseok is very protective over her.
A little too protective given he didn't want Dawon to have the Kim's baby. But that's a memory Jimin is not going to dive into.
When they finally arrived at the mansion, they took Hobi straight to his room. Along the way, he was greeting all the maids, calling them pretty noonas. Dawon had to inform them that Hoseok wasn't well and to not question him on his actions.
When it came time for a bath, Jimin had to help him, and thankfully the doctor instructed him how to bathe Hobi, making sure his bullet wound wont get infected.
A nurse arrived at the mansion a few hours later, just before Hobi's bed time. Of course Hobi put up a fuss when she had to clean his wound, but Jimin thankfully calmed him down, allowing the nurse to do her job.
"Jimin hyung, where is kookie?" Hobi timidly asks, both of them are currently Hoseok's room, getting ready for bed.
Jimin lets out a very low sigh, his half his heart feeling empty without Jungkook, the other half without Hoseok.
"Kookie had to go home." Jimin tells him.
"But I want to play with him." Hobi frowns. "I miss him."
Jimin snuggles up close to Hobi, being mindful of Hobi's wound as he holds Hobi in his arms. "I miss him too." Jimin mumbles. "I miss Hoseok too."
Hobi doesn't reply to that.
The sudden silence dawns heavily on Jimin, making him worry. He looks at Hobi's face, finding him staring off into the distance.
"Hobi?" He gently shakes him and watches as Hobi gulps lightly, his brows furrowing while still looking off into the distance, at the open window.
"I was so scared hyung. It was dark and cold and...I was so alone." Hobi closes his eyes, heaving out a slow breath. "Then I saw a light and I followed it. That's when I woke up in a strange room with strange people staring at me." His voice wavers, eyes blurring with tears. "My tummy was in pain, and they poked me with needles and asked me strange questions." He sobs lightly, trying to keep himself together, but the poor child was so terrified that he couldn't help but break down. "I was so scared Jimin hyung."
"No, Hobi don't cry." Jimin wipes away Hobi's tears and kisses his forehead. "Dawon and I are here with you now, and I promise you'll never be alone." He tenderly kisses Hobi's tears while running his hand through Hobi's soft hair, comforting Hobi because Hobi is a soft little bean that needs lots of love and affection.
It works, and Hobi stops crying. He feels so at ease in Jimin's arms, so safe and warm, like nothing bad can ever happen when he's with his Jimin hyung.
"Jimin hyung." Hobi looks into Jimin's eyes, his soft almond eyes brighten with a spark of happiness as a small smile plays on his lips. "Will you be my daddy?"
This catches Jimin way off guard.
From what he remembers Hoseok telling him, when a little wants someone to be their daddy, it's because they fully trust them and are comfortable around them.
For Hobi to ask that of Jimin feels...wonderful. It unlocks something within Jimin, a paternal instinct he never knew he had.
Hobi blinks at Jimin, waiting for his answer. Jimin takes Hobi's hand and kisses his knuckles, making Hobi giggle in excitement.
"Yes Hobi, I would love to be your daddy."
++++
Three days later...
Hobi still hasn't shifted into the other alters, and the trial of Min Yoongi was drawing closer, with less than two week away.
Hobi has been on his best behavior, only wanting his noona and his daddy to be happy with him because he's a good boy.
Currently, the three are in Dawon's room helping her look for an outfit to wear. The royal officials have contacted Dawon, saying they will be arriving at her home to place her brother into police custody.
"Over my dead body will they take him away." Dawon huffs as she exits her closet. "I mean look at him, he's still in little space! He's too fragile to go to a prison." Dawon rants on as she stands in front of her mirror, holding two dresses to her body.
"I agree. But they should give him a break since he's in little space." Jimin replies. He and Hobi are sitting on her bed, well Jimin is.
Hobi is sitting on the floor playing with his sister's shoes, making sound effects with his mouth.
"Hobi, put those down." Dawon gives him a stern look.
Hobi pouts at his sister. "I'm sorry noona." He mumbles as he gently places her shoes aside and sits on the bed next to Jimin.
"Knowing the council, they won't give a shit about him being in little space." Dawon continues as she stares at the two dresses.
"But what if we get King Jungkook to vouch for him? I know he's going to be at the trial as well." Jimin suggests.
Dawon huffs out in aggravation. "But king Jungkook has no idea of Hoseok's alters."
Jimin bites his lip, feeling anxious about the truth. "Actually-"
"Hobi come help me pick a dress." Dawon calls to her brother, seeing as he was sitting in the bed with a pout.
Hobi happily jumps off the bed and joins his sister by the mirror, standing very tall behind her.
"Noona looks like a princess!!" Hobi squeaks.
Both Jimin and Dawon laugh at his cuteness.
"Jimin, you too. I want to distract myself a little before having to deal with the royal council." Dawon gestures him to join them.
Jimin joins her side and stares at the mirror, looking at both dresses. One was a royal blue strapless gown, and the other was an green one-sided strap gown.
"I like the green one." Jimin comments.
Dawon smiles in agreement. "Me too. How about you Hobi?" They look at him through the mirror, both noticing his stoic expression.
"Hobi? Are you alright?" Dawon asks, and Hobi looks at her through the reflection on the mirror, his expression morphing into a pleasured smile.
"Oh hunny, the blue one is the perfect one. It brings out your girls." He slowly runs his nimble hand along the curve of her body, stopping just under her left breast and groping it firmly.
"HOBI!" Dawon drops the dresses slaps him across the face. She didn't mean to, it was just a defensive reflex.
But Hobi wasn't bothered by her assault, in fact he seems to enjoy it as he lets out a low moan and looks at her with a very wide smile.
"Hobi? No sweetie, you got the wrong person." He blows her a kiss, then winks over at Jimin.
"My name is Jay, pleasure to meet you."