A few days had passed. Jungkook had been making progress in a lot of aspects in his life. For instance, he didn't need alcohol to fall asleep anymore.
He used to drink to pass out. That way, he wouldn't have any nightmares. But, lately, with Jimin sneaking up to his bedroom almost every night to sleep together, Jungkook hasn't been drinking alcohol to fall asleep anymore.
And, he stopped smoking. It wasn't as hard as he thought it would be. He wasn't a heavy smoker, as mentioned before. He would only smoke whenever he felt too stressed. Lately, he used other methods of destressing. Jimin proved to be such a cuddler, and that helped a lot. Even if Jungkook felt embarrassed to ask, Jimin would cuddle his stress away immediately.
So, he decreased his smoking and alcohol consumption. He didn't want to smoke if it affected Jimin's health. The younger had never been around smokers before, so he wasn't accustomed to the scent.
Now, Jungkook was entering the living room in the morning. He had just showered and dressed, wearing his ususl formal attire. He loved to wear his dress shirts and formal pants. It was comfortable to him, even if most people weren't comfortable wearing formal clothes at home.
Entering the living room, he spotted Jimin laying horizontally on the couch, watching television. He appeared to be zoned out, but he was in fact paying careful attention.
Jungkook approached him, leaning down to peck his forehead.
"What are you watching, little one?" Jungkook asked, taking a seat at Jimin's feet. Most of the family were out now; only a selected few stayed back. They each had their own personal lives, too. For instance, Namjoon was out at a plant nursery to find a new plant for his bedroom; and Taehyung was out buying some art supplies for his hobby.
Jungkook lifted Jimin's feet and layed them on his lap, beginning to massage his cleaned and bare feet.
Jimin wasn't focused much.
"Baby boy?" Jungkook called out again. Jimin pouted, before he sat up on the couch. He moved over to Jungkook, finding his seat on the older man's lap.
Jimin pouted as he sat on Jungkook's lap, leaning down to lay his head on Jungkook's shoulder. He wasn't speaking. Instead, he just lay his head on Jungkook's shoulder.
The blonde man brought his hands up to Jungkook's dress shirt button, playing with the button but not undoing it. He just fiddled with the button between his fingers as he rested on Jungkook. The older man brought his hands to Jimin's waist.
"Little one, are you tired?" Jungkook asked, his voice dropped to a lower pitch but still silky smooth to hear.
Jimin just shook his head. His odd behavior was starting to make sense.
"Did you slip?" Jungkook asked, feeling a little nervous suddenly.
Jimin didn't respond to that. Instead, he just continued resting his cheek against Jungkook's shoulder, playing with the third button of his dress shirt as he had his legs on either side of Jungkook.
The older man immediately knew that Jimin was in little space. He was oddly quiet; something that Jimin wasn't.
Then, Jimin held Jungkook's hand, leading his hand to Jimin's sweater which he was wearing. The blonde gestured for Jungkook to remove his sweater. The older man was confused. Jimin was just resting his head on his shoulder and gesturing for him to remove his sweater. What did that mean?
"Do you want to change your clothes, baby?" Jungkook asked. He assumed that the jeans and sweater were uncomfortable for him.
Jimin nodded against his shoulder, internally excited that Jungkook could understand him.
The older man held Jimin by underneath his thighs and stood up, holding the younger man to his chest as Jimin wrapped his arms around his neck.
Jungkook walked the distance to Jimin's bedroom where his closet of attire was. Jungkook took steady and careful steps, carrying little Jimin in his strong arms. The younger man regressed to the mental age of a toddler, and even if he could walk, his mind made him believe that he lacked the skill to walk.
Jungkook reached Jimin's bedroom, closing the door behind him as he led Jimin to the bed. Allowing Jimin to sit at the edge of the bed, Jungkook moved over to Jimin's closet. He had bought little gear for Jimin days ago, after learning about his little space.
The older man opened the closet and looked at the side of the closet that had his little clothes. A whole lot of comfortable and fluffy onesies and pajamas.
The older man pulled out a blue onesie with stars on them, holding it up for Jimin to look at.
"Is this one okay, little one?" Jungkook asked, his voice so gentle.
Jimin just shook his head to say no, a small and adorable pout on his lips. Jungkook smiled, returning the onesie to its rightful place. His eyes searched for another one, before coming across a pale pink onesie with pawprints on it.
He held it up for Jimin, again.
"This?" Jungkook asked. The younger man nodded with a smile, his eyes twinkling with pure innocence. Jungkook walked up to him, placing the onesie on the bed and he slowly began to undress Jimin.
Jungkook didn't let his eyes linger for too long. It didn't feel right to sinfully explore Jimin's body with his eyes, so he kept his eyes on Jimin's. Undressing the man was easy.
The hard part came when he had to dress him. Jimin layed back onto the bed, his legs dangling off the edge as he looked up at the ceiling. He brought his fingers before him, and began playing with his hands as he layed on his back. Jungkook crouched on the ground at Jimin's feet, pulling the onesie up his legs first.
Slowly, he dressed Jimin, as the younger remained in his own world. When he was done dressing Jimin, he picked him up into his arms and carried him back down to the living room.
Placing Jimin on the carpeted floor in the center of the main living room, Hoseok entered through the threshold.
The brunette was surprised to see Jimin in little space. He only slipped that one time. Hoseok felt a small connection to the blonde, because he too was with Jungkook when they watched him slip the first time.
"Is he in headspace?" Hoseok asked as he entered, watching Jungkook place Jimin down on the carpet.
"Yes, he is. Could you help me set up his play section?" Jungkook asked Hoseok as he gestured towards the small box in the corner of the living room. Jungkook had kept all of Jimin's gear in the small box, in the living room for convenience. Little Jimin needed to meet the other family members too, so Jungkook thought it would be best to have his play station set up here.
Hoseok walked towards the small, wooden box. He opened it, revealing Jimin's toys that were neatly packed away.
Jungkook crouched down to Jimin's level, slowly stroking his hair back as he caressed him.
"Do you want your stuffies?" Jungkook asked in a soft voice. Jimin nodded, his innocent eyes staring up into Jungkook's as if the older man was his lifeline.
"Anything else?" Jungkook asked. Jimin bit his lower lip in thought, before he nodded again.
"Do you want to color?" Jungkook asked sweetly, a small smile on his face as he spoke to Jimin.
The blonde nodded again, communicating that he wanted to color. Jungkook smiled so sweetly, the blonde was practically falling in love with him.
"Anything else you would like to have, little one?" Jungkook asked, his fingers combing through Jimin's hair in gentle strokes.
The blonde shook his head to say no. Hoseok was listening, grabbing the coloring material and the few stuffed animals that Jungkook had bought.
Handing Jungkook the equipment, the mafia leader placed the stuffed white bunny in his lap, watching Jimin's expression very analytically.
Jimin's bright eyes widened as he looked at the stuffed animal in his lap, watching with amazement as the bunny sat on his lap without falling over.
"Do you like your new friend?" Jungkook asked, continuing to pet Jimin's blonde locks. The little nodded his head happily, his small paws grabbing at the stuffed animal. Slowly, gradually, Jungkook introduced him to the other stuffed animals, watching his reaction carefully to ensure that they were all positive reactions.
It didn't take long for Jimin to be surrounded by his stuffed animals, laying on his tummy on the carpet whilst he colored a random picture of his choice. Jungkook had only bought him crayons, and not coloring pencils, because he didn't want it to be a safety hazard. Even if Jimin wasn't a real toddler, his mindset couldn't put an age to him. He was little. He might disregard simple things that big Jimin wouldn't.
Jimin lay on his belly as he colored a picture of a princess. In the background, Jungkook had found an animated movie and kept it playing in case Jimin found his attention wandering. The little had his white and baby blue pacifier in his mouth, sucking on it as he prefered not to speak. His speech was limited.
Jimin's eyes flickered to the television screen for about five minutes, watching in between coloring.
Jungkook sat right behind him on the single seated couch, watching his baby for every second. He didn't tear his eyes away, even when Hoseok spoke to him.
"Jungkook? Are you even listening?" Hoseok brought Jungkook back to reality as the mafia boss hummed.
"You weren't listening. I said that Seokjin went to see the-"
"Don't mention our work around him. He's sensitive and he doesn't need to hear any of this," Jungkook cut him off, his tone cold and indifferent. Hoseok pursed his lips, but he wasn't offended. He was just making an analysis.
Jimin glanced at Jungkook, pacifier in his mouth, before he lifted his coloring book to show the older man how far he went. He only colored the princess's dress, and he was only halfway done.
Jungkook's eyes glanced at the coloring. His eyes lit up naturally.
"Oh, baby, that looks amazing. You're doing great. Will you finish it for me?" Jungkook asked sweetly, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees and clasping his hands together. His focus was all on Jimin, while Hoseok's focus was all on him.
Jimin nodded to communicate that he will finish his picture, before he went back to coloring and watching the animation. Jungkook watched him for a moment, checking the time on his Rolex so he could know when to give Jimin his meal for lunch.
Hoseok watched carefully, his thoughts bouncing off the membrane of his brain. He was so...surprised.
"You really care for him, don't you?" Hoseok asked softly, trying to keep their conversation away from Jimin's ears. The mafia leader scoffed.
"Of course, I do. That's a stupid question," Jungkook stated as they spoke in hushed tones.
"It's funny, because I can't recall you ever caring about anyone else but yourself-"
"Let me stop you right there. I care. I have always cared, and just because I don't sing and dance about how much I care about you guys, doesn't mean that I don't. You guys are all I've had for the past five years and more. But... Jimin is different," Jungkook stated softly. Hoseok was a little surprised by that confession.
"Different, how?" Hoseok watched Jungkook carefully, as he relaxed into the couch.
"He... He's everything that none of us are. He's sweet, and kind... He doesn't judge. He's innocent. He deserves good treatment. Even if I kidnapped him for the wrong reasons, I plan to keep him for the right ones," Jungkook said, his tone hushed.
"So... He's changing you?" Hoseok asked. He wasn't trying to pry. He just wanted to learn more about this situation. This is the first time he's witnessed Jungkook display even a small bit of affection.
"No. I'm still the same. I still hurt people. I still kill. I still love the sight of blood and gore. I still have all my scars. But, with him, I don't want to hurt him. I don't want to see him in pain. With him, my scars don't matter. The world paints us according to our outline, but Jimin is the one who has taken the time to analyse the brush strokes, the shades and the texture. He's the one who doesn't just look at the overall artwork. He dives deeper to uncover the meaning. And that, Hobi, is something that nobody else has done for me," Jungkook stated.
The analogy of Jungkook being an abstract artwork is more than fitting. Every person was an artwork. They could be a painting or a mosaic or a sculpture. But, a painting is just a painting until somebody sees it as a masterpiece. Not everyone's eye for art is the same, and not everyone will find the meaning behind an art form, but there's a reason why artwork is auctioned to the highest bidder; not everyone can value the artwork.
With Jungkook, it was exactly the same. He was a beautiful painting; but a painting is just a canvas with color on it. Jimin was the one who took time to analyse the different shades used, the rough texture of the painting and short brush strokes. He was the one who noticed that Jungkook's painting was missing a small piece; and that piece was depth. Jimin brought out Jungkook's ability to be kind, to care, to love; and that was Jimin adding depth to Jungkook's painting.
Altogether, the man was a masterpiece, but not everyone understood art and its complexity - and that was fine.
That was why Jungkook was willing to protect him and care for him, unlike he's ever done for anyone.
Hoseok took time to comprehend the words that Jungkook spoke. It was a smart analogy.
The blonde beauty was still coloring the picture, in his own bubble as he sucked on his pacifier. Jungkook left the air in the room so thick that one could cut it with a knife. For a moment, Hoseok was too impressed to speak.
"But you're wrong. He is changing you. You don't smoke much. You haven't been wasted in days. You've had him with you in your bedroom, Jungkook. You're doing so much for him, and it isn't just you being kind. You're different, whether you choose to acknowlege it or not," Hoseok said.
"Maybe he is changing me. Maybe I'm becoming a better person but I can assure you, that doesn't wipe my slate clean. I've still done horrible things. I have horrible secrets that I'm yet to share with him. I may be different, but that doesn't change who I was and am. The only difference is that I'm with him. And, when I am with him, I would like to be the me that he deserves to see, and not the me that the world has ruined. He doesn't deserve to see that side of me. If I ever hurt him that way, I don't think I'll be able to be the same after," Jungkook confessed. Hurting Jimin, was inevitable. Jungkook would try all he wanted to, but his past would only hurt Jimin. And, if he did hurt him, Jungkook wasn't so sure that the blonde would stay. Not everyone has the ability to stay with someone like Jungkook.
Hoseok kept silent for a moment. Whether they realized it or not, Hoseok and Jungkook had just bonded because this was the most open that Jungkook had ever been. Hoseok appreciated it; more than Jungkook would know. After all, they've all been together for five years and Jungkook was a closed book. He never confided in anyone. The other members of the mafia could confide in him, but it didn't work the same way for Jungkook. He never opened up, so for him to now speak about his emotions willingly, Hoseok took that as progress. And that, made the brunette happy.
Jimin stood up from the spot on the floor, his coloring book in hand as he toddled over to Jungkook on padded feet. The younger walked up to him, holding his coloring book out for Jungkook to see the end product.
The ravenette leaned back into the couch, gesturing for Jimin to sit on his lap. The younger did happily, holding his coloring book towards Jungkook's face for him to see his masterpiece coloring.
Jungkook smiled brightly at the neat coloring.
"This is beautiful, little one. You did such a good job. I'm very impressed," Jungkook smiled happily, his hands moving to hold Jimin's waist as the younger sat on his thighs.
Jimin then placed the book on his lap, resting his back against Jungkook's chest. The older man left a short peck to Jimin's hair.
"It's time to eat something. Daddy has all your favorite foods in the kitchen. Do you want nuggies?" Jungkook asked. Jimin was in thought for a long time, before he nodded in response. Jungkook was happy.
This was his first time actually supervising Jimin in little space. In the beginning, he was afraid that he'll mess up and do something stupid. But now, he felt happier knowing that he kept Jimin happy. That was all he wanted to do. Maybe, Jungkook found his paternal side, and that should have scared him, but it made him realize that he wasn't such a monster after all.