Jimin Protectors ' Book 1 '

Chapter 💯 '✅'

Author's POV:

Taehyung's heavy eyelids fluttered as a gentle hand caressed his cheek with the tenderness of a whispered prayer. Soft, tiny fingers poking his cheeks, and even with his closed eyes, He knew who was trying to pull him out of his self-chosen loneliness..

Taehyung: "Let me sleep," he groaned, his voice thick with exhaustion and pain. His arm swept weakly at Jimin, a weak attempt to push away the persistent presence that refused to let him drown in his sorrow.

Jimin: "No, it's been a whole week and you haven't left your room or spoken to me. Wake up now - it's already noon!" His voice cracked with a mixture of frustration and desperate concern, his small hands continuing their gentle assault on his hyung's shoulders.

Taehyung: "Why aren't you in school?" he mumbled, still refusing to open his eyes, as if darkness could shield him from the world's cruel realities.

Jimin: "I told you already - you're not present with us anymore. It's the weekend, so there's no school today. And I haven't eaten breakfast yet because I was waiting for you. But listen - my stomach can't take it anymore!" His voice rose with each word, A growing wave of anxiety and hunger mixed together.

Taehyung's eyes finally opened, heavy with unshed tears and sleepless nights. He sat up slowly, his movements slow and defeated, resting his back against the headboard .

Taehyung: "Isn't it one of your rules never to skip meals? Why haven't you eaten breakfast yet?" His voice was cold, his eyes boring into Jimin's with an intensity that made the younger boy's heart skip.

Jimin: "Hyung! I'm not a kid anymore! Besides, why should I follow a rule that you're breaking? You're the one who taught me it's wrong to skip meals, so why have you been doing it all week?" His voice trembled with raw emotion, tears gathering in his eyes like storm clouds ready to burst. "Appa told me not to interfere, but I will now. I'm angry because you're not taking care of yourself, and you've been ignoring me for the entire week. Did I do something wrong?"

The tears he'd been fighting finally spilled over, rolling down his cheeks like liquid diamonds of heartbreak.

Taehyung: "Hey, I'm not ignoring you. Come here," he whispered, his voice suddenly soft as velvet. He pulled Jimin onto a hug with gentle but firm hands, wrapping his arms around the smaller boy like a protective shield against the world.

Jimin: "Then why did you stop talking to me?" he asked, his voice muffled against Taehyung's chest, vulnerability seeping through every word.

It had been a torturous week for Taehyung. He hadn't stepped foot outside his room since that devastating day, couldn't bear to see Jimin's innocent face. Every time their eyes met, his pain multiplied tenfold. His memories were now crystal clear, vivid as fresh wounds, and knowing that Jimin had endured the same past suffering made his heart bleed even more.

Taehyung: "I'm sorry... I'm just going through a lot these days. I didn't mean to hurt you," he confessed, his voice breaking like fragile glass.

Jimin wiped his tears away with the back of his hand and forced a trembling smile for his beloved hyung.

Jimin: "I know you would never hurt me on purpose, but I can see you're not the same person. Can I know why?" He took Taehyung's hand in both of his, caressing the back of it with feather-light touches, his eyes searching Taehyung's face desperately for answers.

Taehyung broke their eye contact, unable to bear the weight of Jimin's innocent gaze. He didn't know what to say, how to explain the storm raging in his heart.

Jungkook had suggested that talking with Jimin might bring hope, but Taehyung was terrified to his very core. He didn't want to drag Jimin back into memories of his painful past. The kid already had a girlfriend - what if he made him focus on something he'd never noticed before? He couldn't bear to be the reason for any more pain in Jimin's life.