Perfect

With you

"Seokjin, wake up. We’re getting late," Taehyung gently nudged Jin, his voice soft but urgent.

"Let me sleep a little more," Jin murmured, moving away from the edge of the bed.

"Your parents must be waiting for you, Seokjin. Let's go meet them. I also want to introduce myself to your parents," Taehyung insisted, trying to pull Jin out of his sleepy haze.

"They don’t like you," Jin mumbled in his sleep, causing Taehyung to freeze. His attention piqued, he sat down on the bed next to Jin.

"Oh, why don't they like me?" Taehyung asked out of curiosity.

"Because you make me sad," Jin replied, his voice barely audible.

"But I don’t anymore. I’m sure they’ll like me now," Taehyung argued, a hint of desperation creeping into his voice.

"How do you know that you no longer make me sad?" Jin retorted, his eyes still closed.

Taehyung gently rolled Jin onto his back, looking into his eyes. "I thought we were doing better. You’re getting better, too."

Jin shifted under the covers, finally sitting up. "You do whatever you wish to do, Taehyung. All of this, too, has nothing to do with me," he said with a sigh, getting out of bed.

Taehyung watched him, feeling a pang of helplessness. He had thought they were on the same page, but now he wasn’t so sure.

"I’m doing this so you can feel better," Taehyung argued, his voice filled with concern. "If I’m doing something that’s out of line or makes you uncomfortable, then let me know. We can talk about it, and I’ll work on it."

"Everything you’re doing is out of line for you and makes me uncomfortable. Including your therapist speeches. You sound gullible when you talk like this," Jin responded bluntly, his words sharp.

Taehyung sighed and lifted himself off the bed. "Join me in the living room when you’re ready," he said at last, walking out of the room. What’s with the sour mood today? he wondered.

As Taehyung sat in the living room, waiting for Seokjin, he began to overthink. He replayed every word Jin had said, especially the part about the "therapist speech." What did that even mean? Should he not speak at all?

"You went all out. Thank you," Jin's voice brought him back to reality.

"Sure, yeah," Taehyung replied, still preoccupied with his thoughts. Jin paid his respects to his parents, and Taehyung stood behind him, following suit.

After they were done, Taehyung drove them to the outskirts of Seoul, where his parents' graveyard was located. Upon reaching the graveyard, Jin sat quietly, collecting himself, waiting for Taehyung to step out first.

"Are you not coming?" Jin asked, looking up at him expectantly.

"I'll wait for you in the car," Taehyung replied, avoiding Jin's eyes. When Jin actually left without him, his heart broke. He sat in the car in silence, knowing Jin wouldn’t return quickly.

After almost an hour, Jin showed up again. "Let's go back," he said, sliding into the passenger seat.

"We're not going back," Taehyung said, starting the engine. "The company will soon announce our relationship. I need my mother to meet you before the world knows about it."

"Didn’t you consider telling me your plans beforehand? I could have had something going on," Jin replied, amused by Taehyung’s behavior.

"I checked in with your manager—" Taehyung began.

Jin slammed his hand on the dashboard. "Something personal, for God's sake, Taehyung."

Taehyung turned off the car, rested his back against the seat, and shut his eyes. Jin, feeling a wave of guilt, shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"Look, Taehyung—" Jin started to speak but was cut off.

"I’ll drive you back home," Taehyung said, his voice flat. Jin could tell he was unhappy, but was it his fault that Taehyung didn’t even consider asking him before making all these plans?

"Let's just go now. She must be waiting for us," Jin tried to diffuse the tension, but it didn't work. Taehyung didn't respond, and the silence between them was thick as he quietly dropped Jin back at the apartment before leaving right after. Jin was left confused. "I asked for this," he muttered, trying to shrug off the guilt, but it didn't help.

By the time he reached his room, he was a mess. The cigarettes he had hidden inside his pillow foam were now between his lips. He rocked back and forth, clutching the bedsheets in his fists. Before he knew it, his body was growing cold and starting to shake uncontrollably.

He took a shaky breath as he lit another cigarette, a growing pain settling in his stomach. It didn't take long for the chest-tightening to become unbearable.

As time passed, he felt increasingly suffocated, almost as if the walls were caving in. With shaky legs and bleary eyes, he got up from the floor and opened the door to his room. He managed to make his way to the balcony, where he sat on the floor, covering his ears with his arms, trying to take deep breaths.

"I'm so tired," Jin mumbled under his breath, his body shaking back and forth. "So tired."

"Seokjin?" Despite his ears ringing, he heard Taehyung’s worried call. Jin tried to hide within himself as he sensed Taehyung getting closer. "What’s wrong, Seokjin?" Taehyung asked, holding Jin's fragile body. "Look up at me. Did anything happen while I was gone?"

"I—" Jin looked up, "can't, can't breathe," he whispered. Taehyung realized then that Jin was having a panic attack. He shifted Jin into his lap, rubbing his hand on the omega’s back.

"Take a deep breath and let it go. You can do it, Seokjin. Do it for Voo," Taehyung urged, using the nickname that made Jin look up.

"I'm sorry, I smoked. I'm a mess. I made you upset. I'm sorry—" Jin began to ramble.

"Look at me," Taehyung said, holding Jin's face in his palms. "It's okay. I was upset, but I’m not anymore. We both need to work on ourselves, Seokjin. I shouldn’t have left you alone, but I had promised my mother I’d see her. I had to go request my manager to arrange a flight for her. And I know my therapist speech is annoying, but this is the only way I know how to talk to you without hurting you, Seokjin."

"I’m sorry, I didn’t mean whatever I said this morning either," Jin cried harder.

"Stop crying. It breaks my heart," Taehyung said softly.

Jin looked up to meet Taehyung’s eyes. "Does it really? You’ve made me cry the most in the world," he replied, his voice filled with pain.

Ashamed, Taehyung lowered his gaze. "Are you feeling better?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper. "If you can just hold onto me a little longer."

Taehyung nodded weakly. "Sure," he said, pulling Jin closer, his voice cracking. "Let’s go visit your mother after this."

"It’s alright, we don’t have to go. Plus, I think your heat is close, Seokjin," Taehyung replied,

Jin looked at him, confused. "You can tell that?"

"Well, yes, I can. Your scent gives it away. Plus, we are mated, so I can sense it." Taehyung cleared his throat. They had hardly spent Jin's heat together before, mostly because Jin’s heats were irregular. Taehyung’s ruts, although regular, always had Jin there for them.

"Do you think you’ll be able to control yourself?" Jin asked, his voice trembling.

"Yes, I’ll take care of you," Taehyung assured him, not realizing the omega was already scenting him in a desperate attempt for comfort.

"Taehyung?" Seokjin called out, his voice full of vulnerability.

Taehyung hummed in response. "I’m trusting you," Jin said.

They sat there in silence, the room filled with the quiet sound of their breathing and the distant hum of traffic. Jin listened to Taehyung's heartbeat, finding comfort in its steady rhythm, even as tears slipped down his cheeks.