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"Boss, have you seen your new neighbor?!"Yoongi sighed as his moment of silence was shattered by his second, Hoseok. As usual. "Could you at least let the door shut before you start your gossiping?" He scowled. "I need everyone around here to think that when you're called into my office, it's serious and scary; not that I'm inviting them over to have a girl-talk."Hobi didn't respond verbally, but he did make the effort to pretend like he was halfway apologetic, and Yoongi knew that was the best he'd get. "So did you see him?" He asked after he shut the door with a firm click.Yoongi sighed again. "No, Hoseok, I haven't seen the new neighbor. I've got Jin on it; nobody's used that shitty house in forever, and I'm not sure why someone would ever buy it. It's too close for comfort."The house - and the neighbor - Hobi was talking about wasn't next door to Yoongi's actual home; it was just next to Yoongi's front business, The Great Outdoors. It was an outdoor recreational vendor, and sold gear for hunting and fishing, including Yoongi's favorite merchandise: guns. Though, the guns sold in TGO were legal, of course. Either way, the neighborhood had been subject to gentrification about a decade ago, but most businesses that had tried to set up shop in the area quickly went under before realizing that the neighborhood wasn't incredibly wealthy and that not many people wanted to put pools in the backyards they didn't have, waste money they didn't have on Prada when there was a perfectly good Walmart past the next stoplight, and a mall not twenty minutes away. TGO had done well, though, because Yoongi knew how to market. Well - Namjoon knew how to market. Yoongi didn't do much hands-on with the business except four days a week, when he worked the counter and register so he could get his face well-known with the public so as to stay away from suspicion. Yoongi was great with people, when he was working at TGO, and many of the people in the area were familiar enough with him that they were comfortable standing behind him in line at the grocery store, but not so much that they felt super willing to strike up a casual conversation. That was what he wanted. Most illegal arms dealers didn't show their faces as much as Yoongi did, but he learned from his father, who was currently at his own home with his mother, enjoying a safe retirement with guards helping them watch their grandson, Yoongi's nephew Jihoon, play in the backyard. Yoongi's father was never arrested, and neither was Yoongi's grandfather, and that worked well enough for him. Anyway. There were few houses in that particular stretch of neighborhood left after the businesses all went out, only what few hadn't been knocked down. One house specifically stayed, long after it should've been demolished, but Yoongi had noticed some moving trucks in the area as of late, and it didn't sit well with him, so he put Jin, a few months his senior, but his relations guy, on recon duty to figure out what was going on. "Jin will figure it out, then," Hobi said optimistically. "But - wow. Boss, he's hot. Really hot. Like, he's got an ass like -""As much as I'd love to sit and listen to you talk yourself into an erection, I'd actually rather do anything else, so please shut up," Yoongi interrupted, making Hoseok laugh. "It's true!" He insisted, and Yoongi rolled his eyes. "You're allowed to fuck him as long as you don't make any kind of connection," Yoongi sighed, but Hobi shook his head. "Oh, no, Boss. He's your type."Yoongi stared at his second, one of his best friends in the world, and then ignored everything he was saying and turned back to his paperwork. "I need to finish this so I can go see Jihoon," he muttered, and Hobi recognized the dismissal, though he laughed as he shut the door behind him. ===Jimin froze when he heard a knock on the door, and Soteria went ballistic, fur standing up on her back and teeth bared as she barked and growled, while Nemesis stayed silent and became deadly. Jimin tiptoed forward, careful not to step on the creaky floorboard he'd noticed as he moved his boxes in over the past few days, and stood up on his toes to peak through the peephole in the door, Nemesis nearly tripping him as he stayed glued to Jimin's side. He saw a beautiful man on the other side, clearly nervous-looking after hearing Jimin's dog. As Jimin scanned him, he curled his fingers around the baseball bat sitting right next to the door, and decided he didn't seem to be standing with any hostility or aggression. "Easy," Jimin told his dogs. Soteria became silent at once, and they both sat where they stood, Soteria looking up at Jimin, Nemesis staring at the door like he could see through it.Jimin opened the door and smiled warily, fingers still curled around the bat behind the door, where the man couldn't see it. "May I help you?" He asked politely, and the man smiled. "Good afternoon! I'm Kim Seokjin; I live just across the street. I noticed you moved and and thought you might like to know about the neighborhood watch and the Homeowners' Association?""Oh," Jimin said, feeling a bit silly. "Yeah, thanks," he said. "I'd - er - invite you in, but the place is a bit of a mess; could we sit out on the porch?""Don't worry about it!" Seokjin said, waving his hand with a laugh, "Of course, of course."Jimin placed the bat silently back where it belonged, and he opened the door wider, allowing the pups out with him. Seokjin looked instantly nervous and backed up, and Jimin smiled. "Sorry about the noise earlier; they're protective and the move has them on edge. They won't hurt you, though! They're very well trained. They're service dogs, in fact." It was technically true. They served him by keeping him safe. The man looked a little relieved, though he still gave them a wide berth. It was completely unnecessary; they wouldn't do anything unless Jimin told them to or Seokjin attacked him. They took a seat on the chairs Jimin had placed on the porch, more for decoration than actual plans to use them, and Soteria laid down at his feet, though Nemesis only sat, eyes and ears picking up on everything around them, as normal. Jimin scratched his ears. "So, Seokjin-""Jin, please," he interrupted with a friendly smile. "Okay, Jin," Jimin grinned back, though he still felt a little unsettled. "What would you like to tell me?""Well, the neighborhood watch has its own group chat on Facebook, so be sure to join that," Jin told him, writing down a link on a piece of paper from his satchel on his hip, "and families take turns. It's really not a bad neighborhood, but around holidays and, of course, when new people move in or out, traffic gets a little heavy. Being so close to Fort Hood, we like to have an eye out, especially on the little ones in the area."Jimin nodded. "That makes sense," he agreed. "I don't want anything to happen to the kids just because I moved in," he added, feeling a tad guilty."Oh God, no, that's not what I meant!" Jin said, sounding a bit contrite and biting his lip. "It's just - you know, when people move in, interested parties tend to see any big-ticket items they might want to steal, and the house isn't secure quite yet, that sort of thing. It's not your fault; it's just a reality of moving."Jimin hesitated. Jin seemed to think like a criminal, and he didn't really need that.He seemed to realize what Jimin was thinking, though, and laughed. "Am I coming on too strong? My uncle was a police officer, and he and my mom were very close, always wanting to keep his sister's kids as safe as his own. I don't mean to frighten you when you just moved in."Jimin laughed with him, feeling a bit relieved. A nephew of a cop, he could do. It might even be helpful, if-
No. That wouldn't happen again. Never again.
Jimin forced himself to laugh. "Don't worry about it!" He said, swiping his hand playfully in Jin's direction. Soteria caught the movement and sat up, but stayed just where she was. "It's good to know you're so passionate about keeping the neighborhood safe; I'm glad to have moved here, in that case!"Jin smiled. "What brought you here, by the way?" He asked, friendly demeanor never slipping, and Jimin swallowed. He allowed his smile to slip just a little, just for show, and shrugged, averting his eyes. "Bad breakup, you know," he said, allowing his arms to cross in a show of self-protection. It wasn't a lie, but it certainly wasn't the whole truth; he just didn't want Jin knowing. Jin's smile was instantly wiped off his face, though, and he leaned forward just a tad, his face showing sadness. "I'm so sorry," he said, and he reached out towards Jimin, only to have Soteria start growling low in her chest the moment Jimin flinched slightly. Nemesis stayed silent as well, though Jimin could see him licking his lips anxiously, preparing to bite. "Teri," Jimin hummed, reaching down to touch the top of her head, and he did the same with Nemesis. "Sorry," he said to Jin, grinning sheepishly. "She thinks I'm her pup," he laughed. He wouldn't tell her Jin was a friend, though, just in case. "Easy," he said instead, and they both relaxed in their protective reactions, though Jimin could tell they were still alert. "It's fine," Jin finally squeaked, and Jimin did feel a little bad for frightening his new neighbor so badly. "They're gorgeous dogs, by the way. What kind are they?""This one's a Fila Brasileiro, and this one's a German Shepherd," Jimin said, patting Soteria and Nemesis respectively. "Gorgeous," Jin repeated. "I have a dog - well, my fiance has a dog - whatever. He's an American Eskimo; we call him Monie.""Do you like dogs?" Jimin asked, surprised. "You seemed nervous before you even saw mine.""Well, Monie doesn't exactly sound like he wants to eat me," Jin sputtered, making Jimin laugh. "Fair point! That's fair!" He exclaimed, to which Jin began to laugh. "To answer, though, I like dogs, but I have two sugar gliders. They're quiet, not very protective, but so cute."Jimin perked up. "That's amazing! I'd love to meet them one day; I've never met a sugar glider!"Jin smiled and nodded. "Maybe I'll bring them over some time," he said, and Jimin nodded, though he knew he'd never allow Jin in his home. "That would be cool," he said anyway."Ah, well I won't take up any more of your time; I brought over the HOA information -""The what?""The Homeowners' Association," Jin explained. "Oh.""Here it is," he said, fishing it from his satchel, and handed it, along with the link he'd written earlier, over to him, watching the dogs carefully.Jimin giggled as he grabbed the papers from Jin, making Jin roll his eyes. They stood together, the dogs instantly standing, but they seemed relatively relaxed - probably reading Jimin's mood, honestly - and Jimin held out his hand to shake Jin's. "It was really nice of you to stop by," Jimin said, and then wanted to smack himself. Great, what if he thinks you want him to come over more often, dummy?"Oh, it was no problem," Jin said, "I was happy to do it. I wrote my number and email down on that paper, so if you ever need anything, just give me a call. Even if it's "how do I get to the Walmart", or something. I grew up in this neighborhood, so I'd be happy to help you find all the great places."Jimin smiled shyly. "Thank you," he said, and let go of Jin's hand. Jin bid him goodbye, and walked off the porch, and Jimin went back into the house, locking the knob and the deadbolt before watching Jin from the peephole, wondering where he lived. Instead of going to a house, though, Jin turned headed down the street, towards the storefronts, and Jimin frowned. Soteria flopped to the ground with a huff, and Jimin clucked at her. He knew the feeling. ==="Well, he's a fucking delight," Jin called as he entered The Great Outdoors. Yoongi was working the counter as was usual on Thursday afternoons, and Jin looked like the news was an enormous inconvenience. "Why is that a problem?" Yoongi asked, smiling as he handed over two rounds of buckshot in a bag to a customer. "Have a good day, Wayne," he added as the man nodded and headed out with a grin."Because he's so your type, and you're just awful," Jin complained heavily, pushing himself up on the counter with a huff."Wow," Yoongi deadpanned, "it's amazing how my own men have the balls to insult me straight to my face.""Please," Jin sniffed, "I've known you since you were in diapers.""You, also, were in diapers at the time, so," Yoongi pointed out, but Jin wasn't listening. "You're not allowed to fuck around with this one, Yoongs. Alright? He looks delicate."Yoongi made a disgusted sound. "How is 'delicate' my type?" He protested. "I'm a fucking -" Yoongi cut himself off before he could out himself as a gun dealer. "I'm not into 'delicate'.""It's not that," Jin disagreed, "there's just something about it. It almost drew me in, and I've got the hottest and smartest man on the planet giving me a fucking ring."Yoongi rolled his eyes, used to Jin boasting about his engagement ring, though he knew better than to wear it in public where dealers might catch on. "Yes, yes, we get it," he muttered. "You're in love, it's fantastic, Joon is gorgeous, blah, blah, blah. Can you shut up?"Jin huffed. "Anyway, he lives alone, I think, moved out here because of a bad breakup, definitely has at least a baseball bat by the door, but I doubt he needs it. He's got dogs."Yoongi's eyebrow raised. "Dogs?" He repeats, and Jin nods. "Huge ones. A German Shepherd and some other fucking beast that doesn't seem legal."Yoongi hummed in thought. "How old?""How the fuck would I know? They're not gray, so young-ish, I gue-""Not the fucking dogs, you idiot," Yoongi interrupted. "The new guy.""Jimin.""Sure. How old is he?""Young, I think," Jin shrugged. "It didn't come up, but he's defensive, so I didn't wanna spook him.""Defensive how? I thought you said he was delicate?" Yoongi was getting a headache."I don't know, I think he's seen some shit. He seemed freaked when I told him about the neighborhood watch, but he also calmed down when I mentioned that my uncle was a cop.""Your uncle was a biologist.""It was part of the story!" Jin groaned, exasperated, and Yoongi honestly felt the same."Okay, so he's fine with law enforcement and nervous about criminals. How is that weird or defensive?" Yoongi asked. "That sounds pretty normal to me."Jimin grabbed a tootsie-pop from the counter and unwrapped it without paying for it. Yoongi internally rolled his eyes. "His dogs are fucking lethal. Seriously. I reached for him to pat his arm when he mentioned the breakup and they nearly took my arm off. They're seriously well-trained. One of them is named Teri, which is a horrible name, but whatever. The other one was like death, never made a fucking sound, but Teri was all growls and hackles. Anyway, I mentioned bringing the gliders over one day because he was interested when I talked about them, and he froze up like he'd never want me to come around again. He also nearly broke my hand when he said he appreciated me coming around, and he also flinched from me.""He flinched?"Jin nodded, pulling the sucker from his cheek. "Yeah, when I reached for him. I didn't even touch him, but he flinched and that's what set the dogs off, I think. He was really eager to have information about the neighborhood watch."Yoongi pouted, thinking thoroughly. "So a young, single guy with two guard dogs moves into a run-down house in a poorer neighborhood, is presumably armed, but also flinches from you, who looks completely harmless... He's definitely got some secrets, but as long as he stays out of our way, I don't want to waste time on him.""You don't want to know more about a guy who just moved in close to your front?" Jin asked dubiously. "You vetted my sister when she moved in on the far side of the mile radius!""Well, that's because I know you," Yoongi replied, sticking his tongue out. Jin snorted and chewed on the toostie-pop. "Seriously. We've got the deal with the bikers coming up and I want all our man power fixed on that, alright? Leave the new kid alone. Just keep an eye on him, that's all. For now, at least."Jin sighed, but nodded. "You got it, Boss," he said, and Yoongi pulled a face. It felt so weird to have his (practically) big brother call him that.A few days later, Yoongi had all but forgotten about the new kid. There'd been some light crime in the area the night before the Gatos were supposed to come through for the AK deal, so Yoongi and the Gatos leader, Jebiel, agreed to wait a few days for the cop presence to die back down. It was stressing Yoongi out, though, because it was a $20k deal and while he'd definitely dealt bigger, he didn't like dealing with hot rifles. Not with the way shootings were cropping up all over the place and hitting the news. His hideout was secure - only Yoongi and Hobi knew where it was - but there was always a chance and Yoongi didn't like the risk. He wanted these damned guns gone.Yoongi looked up from the sudoku he wasn't really concentrating on when someone walked right up to the counter and placed his arms on the glass. "Oh, hello," Yoongi replied, looking into the face of a gorgeous fucking angel. He was short, probably the same height as Yoongi, actually, but he was certainly thicker. Yoongi couldn't tell if it was all muscle or just a heavier set from the clothes he was wearing, but his face was angular, with full lips, rosy apple cheeks, and gorgeous brown eyes that were angular. Another Korean in the area, Yoongi realized, and smiled automatically, feeling stereotypical that he was instantly more at ease in the presence of a Korean. The man smiled back, but it was a small thing, like he wasn't putting much effort into it. His hair was black and nearly a bowl cut, and it hung in his eyes just enough that Yoongi wanted to reach up and brush it out of his eyes. "Hi," the man said, and then was silent. He glanced back to the door, and Yoongi's eyes widened when he noticed a big, fluffy dog sitting right next to the door. The man looked worried about leaving the dog out there all alone."Does it behave?" Yoongi asked, jutting his chin toward the dog, and the man swiveled his face back around to look at him. "Is it going to eat any of my customers or piss on the floor, I mean," Yoongi clarified, a small smirk playing on his lips. "Oh - no, he's good," the man said, and Yoongi nodded. "You can bring him in, then," he said. "We're a dog-friendly store."The man grinned fully, then, and Yoongi had to swallow. His front tooth was slightly crooked, but his teeth were white and otherwise straight, and his smiles were beautiful, a dimple popping in from his right cheek. Fuck, did Yoongi like dimples. "Thanks so much," he said. "I'll be right back."He bolted to the door and held it open, and Yoongi didn't hear him say anything, but the dog was at his side instantly, and walked right in with him, nearly pressed up against the man's calf the entire time. They walked together back up to the counter, and when the man stopped, the dog turned slightly sideways and sat down silently. It was cool, but a little creepy. "Yoongi," Yoongi introduced, passing his hand over to the man's to shake. "You new in town?""Jimin," the man, Jimin, answered, and shook his hand. "To the neighborhood," he clarified. New to the neighborhood, but not the town? Why in the world would someone move to this neighborhood? "Were you at Fort Hood?" Yoongi asked, referencing the military base that basically bankrolled all of Killeen. Jimin swallowed and shook his head. "No, I just used to live here when I was younger," he said, and Yoongi noted it sounded like a lie. He swallowed it, though, and nodded. "Ah, a military brat? My best friend's dad had him and his sister moving all over the place," he lied easily, almost like his brain was so frustrated at Jimin's bad lie that he needed to hear a good one and only trusted himself to do it properly. Jimin smiled, but Yoongi noticed easily that he didn't answer the question. "Anyway, welcome to the neighborhood. What can I do for you?""I wanted to look at your guns," Jimin stated firmly, and though that was literally Yoongi's job, hearing the words from Jimin's beautiful mouth sounded so strange that he was taken aback. "Oh, uhm, sure," he stuttered idiotically. "Do you have a license?""Not yet," Jimin answered, frowning. "I've already completed the training and been approved; it's in the mail. You can still buy in Texas even without it, though, can't you?""You can," Yoongi answered, nodding. "I just have to ask in case you're wanting to carry. If you buy today, I have to register the gun differently depending on what you plan to do with it. Open carry, concealed, that sort of thing.""Oh, I don't - I'm just getting an open carry; I don't need a concealed carry."Yoongi shrugged and nodded, and then slapped the glass lightly. He broke his gaze from Jimin's flustered face and decided it was time to do his job. "What are you looking for?" He asked. "Rifle? Automatic? Assault? Handgun?""Er, just a handgun, please," Jimin answered, looking a little pale. Yoongi wanted to ask if he was sure, but he knew better."Alright, come on over this way," Yoongi said, and Jimin and his shadow-beast followed.===

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

"Evening, gentlemen," Yoongi drawled as he and Hobi, guarded by a few of the men Hobi trusted enough to back them, stepped out of the SUV. Namjoon stayed on Yoongi, arms down at his sides and if Yoongi didn't know better, he'd say Joon wasn't even paying attention, but he also knew that Joon was an incredibly quick-trigger, so he stayed silent. Hobi had slightly more protection, Taehyung on his right and Jonathan on his left. Both men had their hands resting on their holsters in that obnoxious way that cops did at mundane traffic stops, like they had to remind themselves that they were Very Tough Policemen. Yoongi made a note to tell them to knock it off next time. "Suga, welcome," Jebiel, the leader of the Gatos, replied, smiling in a show of peace. Yoongi nodded back. Today wasn't the deal, so Yoongi didn't bother asking for money, and they sidled up to one another, Jebiel with four men at his back as well. "Has the police presence died down?" Jebiel asked, clearly itching to get the guns and get out of town. Yoongi knew, from Jin, actually, that the Gatos were turning the guns for profit somewhere up north - Idaho, if Yoongi remembered correctly. It didn't bother him; the more hands the guns went through the better, because there was less chance it could come back and fall on him and his boys. "Finally, yes," Yoongi replied, an annoyed twitch in his jaw. He knew it couldn't be helped, but the fact that he'd been holding on to these guns almost a week longer than expected made him antsy. He already had another shipment coming in on Tuesday, and he didn't want so much activity and heat around the junkyard at once. "We could make the drop tomorrow or Friday, if you wanted, even," he added. "Everyone's pretty much relaxed completely. It was only a break-in or two; nothing much, and nothing's happened since, so the police have gone back to the west side. We're clear now."Jebiel nodded thoughtfully, then turned to his second, Iris. Yoongi liked her - she was tough and quiet, and Yoongi also liked that she had almost as much respect as Hobi. Not because she was given it as Jebiel's second, but because she had taken it by slicing off four fingers of a lusty recruit who'd tried to assault her during the late hours of one of the Gatos' bonfires they had after a particularly large deal. Her old man had tried to kill the recruit, and Jebiel had offered to kick him out, but Iris insisted that living as a lame six-fingered biker and cartel runner was punishment enough. The Gatos were a biker gang, known for their guns and their coke, though Yoongi didn't deal with white, and they were probably the second-biggest gang this side of the Mason-Dixon. They tended to deal with smaller bangers and cartels. Yoongi knew it was a security thing - only deal with someone you could fuck over at least four times - but he wasn't intimidated in the least. His crew was very well-connected, having ties in the north, east, and west thanks to his grandfather marrying Yoongi's aunts off to powerful and dangerous men. Yoongi's crew was smaller, but they weren't greedy. They were content. Honestly, if Yoongi walked away from the guns he could make an honest living with The Great Outdoors easily enough, though some of his smaller grunts who had families would suffer, maybe. With the business, though, they brought in somewhere around two to two and a half million in profit annually, and split between Yoongi's thirty or so guys, that wasn't bad money. Yoongi allowed his lower grunts to have regular jobs stocking the shelves at TGO; most of his runners worked delivery or were salesmen; and his top-tier guys - Namjoon, Hoseok, and Taehyung - were allowed to handle guns and the registers, as well as being shift managers to keep an eye on the rest of them. (Jin ran the books and kept track of order/delivery, but his only part in the illegal shit was finding information.)"What time tomorrow?" Iris asked, boldly speaking to Yoongi, and Yoongi had to hand it to her. She had balls. She didn't look uncomfortable in the least, though Yoongi knew she was probably at least a little shaky in the stomach. "Ten? Or eleven? Sun goes down around seven-thirty, this time of year; should be plenty dark," Yoongi said, glancing at his watch. He really wanted to get home. He had so much paperwork Jin was forcing him to do. "Eleven sounds good," Jebiel agreed, and he and Yoongi shook hands. "Meet you at eleven tomorrow, then," Yoongi said. "Remember - you, your second, two guards, and no more than four grunts. I don't want any civilians getting nervous in my area, and I don't need cops sticking their nose into my business.""Of course, Suga, of course!" Jebiel said with a merry smile, and Yoongi nodded before turning his back on the Gatos and getting in the car. Namjoon walked backwards, but Yoongi knew Jebiel wouldn't be so stupid. "Just get in, Joon; he's not gonna shoot."Namjoon got in the car, but only after rolling his eyes lightly. "Good job, everyone," Hobi grunted out, and Taehyung laughed as Jonathan got in the driver's seat. "Good job? Hobi, all we did was stand there and listen," he snorted. Yoongi snorted with him. Taehyung was a headache and a half, but he was funny and always in a good mood; Yoongi was glad he'd joined up once he finished high school, though he'd wanted Taehyung to go to college before joining up."Everyone better be behind TGO by nine-thirty, you hear me? Me and Hobi will get there not long after with the shipment, and so help me god, if any of you are late -""Pow, pow!" Hobi interrupted, waving finger-guns in the air like a crazed cowboy. It didn't negate Yoongi's threat, though it did lighten up the atmosphere. ===For the fourth day in a row, Jimin walked into The Great Outdoors, this time with Soteria at his side. Nemesis, who was his usual errands buddy, was currently at home, probably furious at being left. Usually, Soteria stayed at home, guarding the house, while Nemesis went with Jimin, guarding him with his life. They were both trained beautifully for their jobs, but Soteria needed some more exposure to other people in public, working on irrelevant-stranger-or-deadly-foe, so Jimin had her on leash, ready to go look through guns even though he had one of the most deadly weapons at his side.Long before Jimin got up the courage to leave, he'd sent a letter to his best friend from high school, who was now a dog trainer for the police force, with a very specific request. His best friend had pulled through and trained Nemesis, and a few months later he'd found out about Soteria through a friend of his and had adopted her to give to Jimin the moment he had the guts to run. Jimin sent some of his clothing to Jungkook to familiarize his dogs with his scent, and when they'd finally met up, nearly a year later, Jimin had only stayed with Jungkook for a matter of weeks before he took off to Nebraska, afraid to be found. Of course, he'd been found after nearly four months. Soteria had been the one to nearly kill the man, and Jimin had beat the intruder unconscious before calling the police, and as soon as they'd gotten the information they needed from him, Jimin was gone again. Once or twice a year since, he'd had to start over again, so when he'd heard that Jungkook got re-stationed and was making himself sick with worry over Jimin, Jimin gave in and moved to the area, wanting to hope but knowing better. The city of Killeen wasn't exactly a bustling hub, but it was far from sleepy, and Jimin had continued his work online, editing and rarely speaking with actual people except for Jungkook, when he could get away from work and family enough to meet him. Typically once a week at most. Jimin was lonely enough that he'd started considering getting a small part-time job at a nearby store, or something. After a recent string of break-ins in the neighborhood, Jimin was nervous it was him, already found him and sent someone after him. His fear had taken him to The Great Outdoors, and his loneliness had kept him coming back. The man behind the counter, Yoongi, was gorgeous, yes, but he was also very kind and he didn't pry. Jimin knew the man had caught him in several lies already, could tell that his sharp eyes didn't miss much, but Yoongi never pressured him, and any time Jimin had felt himself tensing up, ready to bolt, Yoongi had broken that tension and made him laugh - a real, genuine, from-the-belly laugh that Jimin hadn't experienced outside of a few times with Jungkook in years. Jimin also noticed that Yoongi seemed to like his laugh. Though, to be fair, Jimin could barely see when he was laughing, since his damned cheeks scrunched up his eyes, he swore that Yoongi's cat-like eyes lit up, and that his cheeks went just the tiniest bit pink on his high cheekbones. Yoongi was also really respectful of Nemesis, always talking about how beautiful and smart he must be, but he'd never asked to pet him or moved too quickly around him, as if he weren't afraid, but knew better than to push him. Jimin propped the door open and let Soteria in and walked to the counter, but he was already frowning because the man at the counter definitely wasn't Yoongi. "What the fuck is that?!" The man shouted, making Jimin flinch. He pointed at Soteria, who whined and looked up at Jimin, waiting for him to tell her what to do about the shrieking man who was now climbing up onto the counter. "You can't bring dogs in here; what's wrong with you?!" He shouted, face pale white in fear. People in the store started staring, looking at Jimin, and it was making him uncomfortable. "I'm sorry," Jimin apologized, backing up. Soteria stayed right next to him, standing slightly in front of him. "Yoongi said -""Yoongi let a dog in here?!" The man asked, still loud, but no longer shouting. "Yes, he said this was a dog-friendly establishment..." Jimin trailed off at the disbelief on the man's face. "I'm sorry; I - I can leave; I was just here to ask Yoongi some questions about a purchase." Jimin didn't wait for a response and turned tail and hurried out. "Wait!" The man called, but Jimin didn't stop. He jogged back to his house, Soteria keeping pace with him easily in her smooth gait despite her massive size. When he entered the house, Nemesis was at the door, alert, and Jimin sank to the ground, his back against the front door. Soteria whined and flopped in his lap, like she wasn't a 150-pound beast, and Nemesis sidled up to him and licked his cheek. Jimin laughed softly and scratched his ears. "Thought you'd be mad at me, Nemi," he murmured to his dog, petting Soteria with his free hand while Nemesis leaned against him. "But you're a good boy, aren't you, bud? Yeah."Eventually, Jimin pulled himself up off the ground and moved to the couch, allowing the dogs up with him. He didn't have a TV, didn't like the noise, so he pulled out the phone Jungkook had gotten for him and played around until he felt better. Though he still felt confused. Why had Yoongi allowed him to bring Nemesis in, but the other man insisted no dogs were allowed when he'd tried to bring Soteria in? Soteria was bigger than Nemesis, certainly, but Nemesis was even better trained in public! Jimin sighed. Either way, he wouldn't be going back any time soon. That was for sure. ===Yoongi was sitting with Hobi and Jin in his office at nearly one in the morning, watching the automatic counter Yoongi had invested in years ago. They'd gotten back from the tradeoff with the Gatos about half an hour earlier, and Yoongi couldn't go home until Jin was done with the money and Yoongi and Hobi had locked it up properly. "Oh, hey, Boss," Hoseok said a little hesitantly. "Something happened this afternoon; I didn't wanna tell you before the deal so you didn't get stressed out.""I swear to god, if Taehyung fucked another prostitute and didn't pay up-""To be fair, that was only one time," Hobi interrupted diplomatically, and Yoongi snorted. "And he didn't even know that girl was a prostitute; she didn't tell him beforehand.""Why in the world he would've gone for her is beyond me, but more power to him, I guess," Jin muttered dryly, making Yoongi and Hobi both laugh. "Your extreme gay is showing, Jin," Hobi shot back, defending his one true love like Yoongi fully expected him to. "Anyway...no. It's not about Taehyung. Actually, I - I kind of fucked up a little, I think, at work today."Yoongi stared hard at Hobi. Hobi didn't fuck up. He didn't make mistakes. "What do you mean," he demanded, rather than asked. Hoseok swallowed. "Well, I - Okay, so this guy comes in the store today, and with him is the biggest fucking dog I've ever seen, right? And he just - he just brings the dog in! Calm as anything! Biggest fucking - it was basically a grizzly bear!" Jin and Yoongi were both paying full attention at this point to what Hoseok was shouting, and Yoongi sighed. "Hoseok, a German Shepherd is not -""No, it was like a beast. It wasn't a German Shepherd, it was huge," Hobi insisted, and Jin butted in. "Teri. It's some African mastiff, or something, I think. That's Jimin's dog. His other one is a Shepherd."Yoongi pondered that. "He's only ever brought in the German Shepherd," he said, but eventually nodded. "Anyway, what happened?"Hobi stared at him incredulously. "You let the dog come in?!" He asked shrilly. "Hoseok, it's an outdoors store. Most of our customers have dogs they bring out on the water or into the woods with them; I've never hung a 'no dogs' sign," Yoongi said mildly. "That would have been nice to know!" Hoseok nearly shouted indignantly. "Some hot customer comes in and all of a sudden you're letting bears wander around the tackle aisle," he added then in an angry mutter, and Yoongi laughed."So what happened?" He asked. "How did you fuck up?"Hoseok began to look a little embarrassed and a lot guilty, and it made Yoongi nervous. "I - well, I didn't know dogs were allowed in, and you know I'm - you know, I'm fine with small dogs, but this thing was easily waist-height, and fucking enormous, and I panicked, right? Well, I basically ended up yelling that dogs weren't allowed in the building, and that he couldn't be in there...""You kicked Jimin out?" Yoongi asked, disbelief evident in his tone. Jin stayed silent, counting his money. "'Why the fuck did you do that?" "I told you, Boss, I panicked!""Well thank god you don't panic when we go and meet deadly fucking gangsters who could just as soon shoot and kill us as easily as you do when there's a well-trained fucking puppy and our harmless new neighbor!" Yoongi raised his voice as he stood up. "I'm getting more coffee," he added, pissed, and grabbed his mug and walked out the door to the kitchen. While the coffee was brewing, Yoongi stopped to wonder why he was so fucking mad at Hoseok. Dogs had never really been brought into the store before. Yoongi didn't have a problem with them, but nobody had ever asked to bring one in. He couldn't very well blame Hoseok, especially since the man was terrified of dogs since he was a child, and it wasn't like Yoongi had warned him that Jimin had been bringing in the other dog the past three days when he was working. He hadn't thought to. The dog was perfectly well-behaved; Yoongi honstly forgot it was there most of the time. Sure, it was embarrassing, but Jimin came every day, so surely he'd be back before long, and Yoongi could just smooth things over by apologizing and offering him a discount, or something, and make it into a joke they could share between them and laugh harmlessly at Hoseok's expense? Yoongi sighed and poured his coffee, heading back to the office. "...think he likes Jimin," Jin was saying as Yoongi opened the door. "He's a good kid," Yoongi answered, making Jin whirl around and Hoseok jump a bit in his seat. "Jesus," Hoseok muttered, and Yoongi smirked. "Next time you see him, apologize and tell him you didn't realize dogs were allowed, and tell him he's allowed to bring the damn dog in. His German Shepherd is perfect; I doubt the other one is bad.""They're both trained to his every fucking move; it's insane," Jin agreed, and Yoongi nodded. That settled that. Hoseok could tell Jimin the next day when he came in.  Except he didn't come in the next day. Or the next day. By the time Yoongi was back working the counter, it had been four days since Hoseok had shouted at Jimin, and Yoongi sighed. Tuesday around lunch, Yoongi picked up some Korean food and headed over to Jimin's house. He knew it was stupid, not really that big of a deal, and definitely a bit creepy, but he just felt the need to see Jimin's face, honestly. When he knocked on Jimin's door, he could hear two dogs sounding like they were trying to eat him through the door. After a moment, he heard Jimin softly say, "Coming!" and he heard a chain lock release, then a deadbolt, and finally the lock on the knob turn and click. Wow. Kid was paranoid, it seemed. Just before Jimin opened the door, Yoongi heard him say, "Easy," and the growling stopped immediately. Impressive. When he opened the door, Jimin looked wary, and Yoongi held up the food and his best awkward smile. "I come in peace and apology on behalf of my idiot employee," he said, and Jimin laughed. "Do you like Korean?" He asked hopefully, and this time, Jimin gave a snort. "Pretty sure my parents would've kicked me out if I didn't," he said, and then, "Er, I don't mean to be rude, but...how did you know where I live?"Yoongi could have slapped himself. He knew Jimin was nervous and secretive for some reason; it made sense that he was just terrified. Maybe this was his first time living on his own, or something. "Shit, sorry, my best friend, Jin? He works with me, and he mentioned that he met you when I was complaining about my employee, and I - well, I bullied him in to telling me where you live." Lies, lies, lies, but Yoongi didn't care. At least he was good at it. "Oh, yeah, I know Jin," Jimin said, opening the door a bit wider. "Um, my house is still really messy," he began, and Yoongi nodded; he'd expected this. "Do you mind if we eat outside?""I'd prefer it," Yoongi said, and stepped back so Jimin could bring the dogs out. "I like to eat outdoors; the fresh air does me good and I like to people watch." It was a blatant lie; Yoongi never fucking spent time outside, but he didn't want Jimin to feel awkward, and it wasn't like he was facing any hardship by sitting on these chairs on Jimin's porch. Jimin looked relieved, and he opened the door and clicked at his dogs to follow. "This is Soteria, by the way," Jimin said shyly, nodding down at the - Jesus, Hoseok had been right, this dog was a fucking beast - brindle dog who was staring up at him like he'd just kicked her brother in the face. "I didn't know you had a dog and a bear," Yoongi said dryly, making Jimin laugh his bell-like laugh. "She's a Fila Brasileiro," he defended, "and she's such a good girl, aren't you, Teri-girl?" he finished off, making a kissy face at the beast that had her wagging her tail. "What's this one's name, again?" Yoongi asked, though he was positive Jimin had never told him. "Nemesis," he said, and Yoongi raised his brow. "Cute," he said, making Jimin giggle. "They're Greek gods," he said. "Well, god and goddess. Soteria is the goddess of protection and Nemesis is the god of -" Jimin hesitated. "The god of safety."That didn't sound right, but Yoongi nodded, making it a point to look it up later. "Cool names," he said, genuinely. "I certainly don't want to fuck with them," he said with a laugh. As he started unpacking the bag, Yoongi was certain he heard Jimin mumble, 'That was the hope', but when he asked him, Jimin shook his head and blushed. "I got every kind of chicken, and also shrimp, in case you're a communist bastard who doesn't like chicken, but I also got plain noodles in case you don't eat meat," Yoongi said, waiting for Jimin to pick what he wanted. Jimin snorted. "I can eat pretty much anything; you didn't have to get so much," he said, but Yoongi noticed there was a pleased smile working its way out. "It's no problem," he replied, "I really did want to come and apologize."Jimin shrugged and, watching Yoongi carefully like Yoongi would slap his hand away if he picked the wrong container, he picked up a box of chicken and rice. "Really, that's not necessary. I was just kind of embarrassed," he admitted, and Yoongi huffed, annoyed. "No, Hoseok - the guy who yelled at you - is an idiot. One of my best friends, but also a giant idiot, and he's terrified of big dogs he doesn't know. I didn't think to tell him you'd been coming by; most of our other customers don't bring their dogs in, so I guess he just freaked out."Jimin looked guilty. "I didn't mean to frighten him," he murmured. "I swear, the dogs are really well-behaved," he added. Yoongi smiled and picked up the shrimp. "I know, I believe you," he said, nodding down at the dogs who weren't even begging for food. "I haven't had a single problem with Nemesis, and if Soteria is half as trained as him, I'm sure she's fine, too," he said truthfully. "Genuinely, I think he was just freaked.""I thought dogs were allowed?" Jimin asked, a hand covering his mouth as he chewed. "They are," Yoongi said, and wondered again why he was putting so much work into making sure he felt fine about the dogs. "Really. They're allowed. It's my store; I own it. The dogs are free to come whenever you want. I just forgot to tell Hobi about it, and he's dramatic. And a chicken-shit."Jimin laughed. "Maybe exposure therapy would help," he joked, a little uncertainly, and Yoongi snorted. "You should bring them in and have them jump up on the counter and attack him," he replied.Jimin looked horrified for a second, and then seemed to realize Yoongi was joking. Then, he giggled. "I probably shouldn't risk that," he said. "Soteria wouldn't hurt him too bad if I told them to attack, but I doubt Nemesis would be that calm."Yoongi realized there was absolute truth to the words, but he laughed anyway, not wanting to make Jimin realize how much he'd just given away with that one statement. Definitely professional training for the dogs, then. If not military, then certainly police force. No PetSmart puppy school would do that. "Pshh," Yoongi spat goofily, "these sweeties? The worst they might do is drown Hoseok in drool."They both laughed at the obvious lie, and Yoongi was glad he could get Jimin relaxing a little bit. They finally started to have a normal conversation, then, starting with Jimin asking how Yoongi ended up owning and running TGO at such a young age. "It's been in the family for a while," Yoongi admitted, "but I'm really not so young. Nearly thirty; I'm twenty-eight.""Really? Wow, I thought you were the same age as me," Jimin said, a mouthful of food making his words slurred. "How old are you, nineteen?" Yoongi teased. He wanted to reach out and pinch Jimin's cheeks, but he also didn't want to make him flinch, the way Jin and Hoseok had done."I'm twenty-six!" Jimin laughed, trying and failing to feign indignation. What seemed like half a second later, Jimin clearly realized he'd been giving information about himself again."Ah, young grasshopper, I remember the youth of yester-year," Yoongi said, making his voice sound wobbly and aged just to make Jimin laugh more. From then, they moved on to college - Jimin moved before he'd finished college, and Yoongi knew better than to ask why or where - and Yoongi brought up family but immediately moved when Jimin hesitated, and that told Yoongi well enough to stay the hell away from relationships, so he brought it back to his own childhood, talking more than he usually did just so Jimin didn't get uncomfortable with how little he was talking. ("Ah, I'm talking so much, I'm sorry; feel free to butt in at any time and take over," Yoongi had joked, and Jimin just laughed and shook his head. "No, no, I don't mind. I'm more of a listener, anyway." Yoongi felt like it was a lie, could tell that Jimin wanted to joke around and give more input into the conversation, but was holding himself back.)During the entire conversation, through which they made their way through more than half of the containers of food, Yoongi felt so at ease, so comfortable, and so into Jimin, and he knew that Jin and Hobi had been right. Jimin was exactly his type, and he wasn't sure what it was particularly about him, but Jimin just fell so neatly into that category. It felt different, somehow, though. Yoongi didn't want to take him to bed, fuck around until they were both out of it, and then leave them with a fake number (or Jin's number; that was always fun). No. He wanted to spend more time with him. At the end, when Yoongi's shift was approaching, Yoongi took a deep breath like he didn't have the confidence for what he was about to say. (He did, mostly, but this was still weird to say aloud.) "Hey, Jimin? I have to...be honest about something."Jimin froze, chopsticks halfway up to his mouth, and the noodles slipped from the sticks and felt back into the container. They both had t laugh at that. "I did come to apologize for Hobi being an idiot. But...that wasn't the only reason I stopped by today.""...Oh?" Jimin said, his voice a little wobbly, and Yoongi realized then that Jimin wasn't just anticipating his words; he seemed scared. "Yeah, I - I also really wanted to see you again. I know it's weird, because we've barely even spoken, really, except for a few hours at the store and today, but..." Yoongi scratched at the back of his neck, feigning shyness, and smiled up at Jimin with a hopefulness that actually was genuine. "Do you think we could hang out more? We don't have to go on a date, or anything, if you're - like if you're not comfortable with that; I just. I kind of like you, is all." Yoongi shrugged like it wasn't a big deal, and logically, he knew it wasn't, but at the same time, he kind of felt like it was. Jimin absentmindedly petted the dogs' heads where they were sitting up by his chair, and eventually, he seemed to unfreeze. "You...like me?" He repeated, sounding like he'd never heard of the concept. Yoongi bit his lip. Had he been too forward? "Yeah, I do. You're funny and nice, and you're really cute, as well, obviously. But you're cool, I like hanging out with you. It doesn't have to go anywhere you're not comfortable with."Jimin nodded slowly. "I - um, I kind of...got out of a shitty relationship, sort of recently?" He said, sounding like he was questioning his own statements, and Yoongi nodded encouragingly. He'd remembered Jin had mentioned a bad breakup. "Yeah, well - I like hanging out with you, too, and I definitely think - I would like to hang out more often, but I can't...promise anything. You know?"Yoongi nodded earnestly. "Of course," he said understandingly. "Really. I'm not - I don't want to make you uncomfortable. I like you, but if you prefer to be friends, I'm happy with that, too," he admitted, and realized he was being honest. "I don't -" Jimin hesitated, seeming to be warring with himself. "I don't...want to completely make that off limits," he said, biting his lip. Yoongi wanted to lick it better. "But, for now, we can...just see where it goes? Does that sound lame?" He hid his blushing cheeks in his hand, and Yoongi smiled fondly. "It doesn't, I promise," he vowed. He began straightening up with a smile on his face. "I have to get to work or Jin might kill me, but - you could come by? If you want? Or we could hang out, you know. Whenever."Jimin smiled. "I'll come by later on, if you're sure that's alright," he said, and Yoongi laughed. "I promise I won't scream about you bringing a grizzly bear into my store," he vowed. He left for work with a smile on his face.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Jimin held a mug of tea close to his face, letting the steam dampen his skin even though the muggy heat had already done so while he'd been out with Yoongi.He bit his lip as he thought, flipping his phone around between his thumb and forefinger, spinning it in a circle on his thigh. Yoongi was so nice. He was cute, he was educated, he was kind, he didn't pry into moments like Jo- like he had done. When Jimin was young, he'd thought his interest, his prying, was cute, mistook it for eagerness to learn about him. Now, after everything that had happened, he realized it was just the need to have all the pieces of Jimin. He'd just needed to hold everything, have all of the information, know everything, so he could possess Jimin, body and soul and spirit and mind. Everything.But Yoongi was different. Yoongi asked questions, yes, but he was always more than willing to supply his own answers first, or only, Jimin thought with a grimace, when it became clear that Jimin wouldn't (or couldn't) answer the questions he'd been asked. Yoongi never seemed to mind, though Jimin knew he definitely noticed. Jimin liked that Yoongi was perceptive - when Jimin had tried to date afterwards, after everything that had happened, he'd gone on a few dates with people who didn't see through Jimin's lies, and Jimin thought it was better that way, thought that it was safer if men were either too stupid or too self-involved to notice that they were doing all the talking, that Jimin wasn't answering any questions, but Jimin eventually realized that these men weren't right for him, and he'd always broken it off before he'd even developed any real feelings for them. So, yes, Jimin liked that Yoongi was perceptive, but what he really liked was that Yoongi knew what was up but still didn't call Jimin on it or pressure him to be honest or more forthcoming with his answers.Jimin got the feeling that Yoongi wasn't usually so talkative. A few times while they'd had lunch just now, Yoongi'd had to clear his throat, or take a drink, and once or twice he'd even grimaced while apologizing for commanding the conversation. It took Jimin almost half of the lunch to realize that Yoongi was filling the silence so much because he didn't want to push Jimin into doing it. The realization had had him warming up inside, and he'd spent at least ten minutes trying to fight a blush. Still, when Yoongi apologized for talking so much, Jimin had lied, professing to be a quiet, listener type, and he'd seen on Yoongi's face that the man didn't buy it for a second, but he'd let it slide. He let everything slide, and while Jimin really liked that...he also wondered how long Yoongi's patience would last. It couldn't possibly last forever. Nobody liked being lied to; nobody liked knowing their company couldn't be honest about something as simple as whether they liked to talk or not.But then, Yoongi had come out of the blue with his declaration - he liked him! Jimin hadn't known what to do. All he could think about was him, though - how he'd never been able to hide, not even for a year, how he hadn't been in a real relationship since, how Soteria had nearly killed a man, how Jimin had needed to scream Nemesis' name to keep him from finishing Soteria's job... Jimin wondered how Yoongi would feel if he knew any of this, if he knew any of the crazy shit Jimin had done, had been forced to do to keep safe, in the last few years. He wondered how he could ever even entertain the thought of dating someone, especially someone as kind and wonderful and pure as Yoongi.But.He wanted to. Even if they never dated, even if they never became anything...Jimin wanted to have hope again. He wanted to have a crush. Hell, he just - he just wanted to have a friend.With a sigh, Jimin unlocked his phone and clicked one of the very few contacts in his phone and listened to it as it rang. Nemesis rolled over in his sleep, chattering cutely as he dreamed, and Soteria lifted her head, huffed, then dropped it back down onto her paws. Lazy pups, Jimin thought with a smile, just as the phone call connected."Jimin? What's up?"Jimin sighed at the alert concern in his best friend's voice, the professional tone he had immediately. "Kookie, I don't only call you when I'm in trouble; you'll hurt my feelings reacting this way every time your phone rings," he complained, halfheartedly, because he knew the man would never change."Well, yes, but you never call me when you know I'm working," Jungkook replied, and, well. He had a point there."Alright, I'll give you that," Jimin said after a pause, and he swore he could hear the smirk his friend was wearing. "Anyways," he grouched on, "I'm okay. I just need some advice. Are you free?""As free as I can be at work," Jungkook replied honestly, and Jimin snorted. He knew that was Jungkook's way of telling him not to be hurt if he suddenly hung up or got distracted, and Jimin was fine with that. "What's up?" He asked again, and Jimin took a deep breath."There's a guy," he began, already fidgeting. Jungkook went silent on the line, as Jimin knew he would. "He's - the guy from the store I told you about? The really nice one who lets the pups come in?" Jimin prompted, trying to jog Jungkook's memory, because he knew Jungkook always listened to Jimin, always was interested and alert when Jimin came into contact with new people, but Jungkook seemed to be waiting on something, too."Do you need me to run his name, or something?" He asked."No!" Jimin protested, half laughing and half horrified. "He's nice; I - I just..." Jimin took a deep breath, blew it out, and admitted, "He likes me.""Is he a problem?" Jungkook's voice went curt, terse, borderline angry, and Jimin rushed to calm him."No, he's not," he reassured his best friend. Guilt gathered low in his belly; he hated that he couldn't mention a new person in his life without Jungkook immediately turning into Officer Jeon. Not after everything Jimin had made him deal with in the past near-decade."Then what is the problem?" Jungkook asked, and Jimin laughed because he genuinely seemed puzzled."The problem is that I kind of like him, too," he confessed, and Jungkook stayed quiet for a moment."Oh. Oh. Well, that...erm. That changes some things," He said, his consternation forcing Jimin to fight off a laugh.He sighed. "I just feel guilty, I think? Like. How dare I, you know? How dare I go and have a crush, how dare I go and drag some unsuspecting guy into my shit-show-""And that's where I butt in," Jungkook interrupted sourly. "Jimin, it's not your fault that things are the way they are, and you know it," He said softly. "You didn't ask for things to be this way."

"Didn't I, though?" Jimin asked in a near-whisper.

"Jimin," Jungkook said, sounding strangled, completely aghast and appalled that Jimin would say such a thing. "How could you - you did not ask for what happened. You - You are completely innocent in this -"

Jimin cut him off with a dead sounding laugh, as if he'd heard it all before, but somehow...he hadn't. By the time he realized he needed to run, it was too late; there was nobody else to reach out to except Jungkook, and he couldn't really even do that safely, could he? And since he'd left, Jungkook - a good friend though he certainly was - had no idea how to talk to him about it, was always terrified to bring it up for fear up hurting Jimin, bless him. "I know it wasn't my fault," he said slowly, "but I can't help but think about how many people could have been hurt if I'd've been a little more brave, a little more resistant to cutting people out, you know? What if - what if I still spoke to my mom, you know? Or, like - God, my little brother? What could've happened?"

Jungkook was quiet for nearly an entire minute, just listening, Jimin knew, to the sounds of Jimin breathing. Probably listening for erratic breathing to make sure he wouldn't have a panic attack, if Jimin knew him at all. "Jiminie," he said quietly, "I know you internalize what happened, and I know you worry about all the 'what-if's, but it's not - it's not healthy. And nobody...nobody else has gotten hurt because of you. Whether you - asked for everything - or not... None of it is your fault. And I need you to know that."

Jimin swallowed, feeling tears welling up in his eyes. He shifted on the couch and sighed despondently, and Nemesis woke from his nap and lifted his head to look over at Jimin. Jimin smiled at his pup and wiggled a few fingers, and Nemi got the hint and came on over, crawling up onto the couch and resting his head in Jimin's lap. He sniffed all over Jimin's stomach a few times, took one long whiff, and then huffed out, satisfied, before nuzzling onto Jimin's thigh. It made Jimin smile, and he scratched Nemi behind the ear. "I do know it, most of the time," Jimin answered honestly. "I know nobody got hurt specifically because of me, that I never hurt anyone. That I know of, at least. Still, how would - what if he...found out?" Jimin didn't have to emphasize the pronoun for Jungkook to know who he was talking about. He could always tell.

"I think it's a fair assumption that he wouldn't be happy," Jungkook answered honestly, which, despite it making Jimin flinch and dread grow in his limbs, was what he'd wanted, "given that he stalks you as soon as he finds out where you go. But...at the same time, I think you deserve to be happy. He hasn't caught you, and he won't, because if he so much as came near you, you know the dogs would-"

"I know," Jimin cut him off, not wanting to hear, though he knew exactly what his dogs were trained to do if they ever ran into him.

"You deserve to have someone who makes you happy. Even if you're not ready for a relationship, which - I don't know if you are or not, that's something you have to decide on your own, obviously, but... I think you deserve it. Even if you want to just stay friends for now, God, don't you want friends? You deserve friends you can see more than once a week, like me. You deserve friends who live right down the road, even if they don't know where you live. You deserve friends who know how you take your coffee, even if they don't know why you have your dogs. You deserve someone who makes you laugh, even if they don't know why you don't laugh as much as you used to. Shit, Jimin, you deserve to have people in your fucking life!"

Jimin was crying silently, now, and bent himself forward in half to bury his face in the back of Nemesis's neck. "I want to," he said, sniffling. Teri whined from her spot in the floor, hearing Jimin's upset and not liking it. "Come on up, pretty girl," he welcomed her in a watery cooing, and she heaved herself up onto the couch, barely fitting on his wide cushions. "I want to have it, Kook," he confided.

"Then have it," his friend said softly.

"I haven't even - I haven't even tried to have a friend, much less date, since, like...New York," he said, rapidly wracking his brain because surely, he hadn't gone four years without a date? Four years without another friend? He had Jungkook, of course, but for safety, he rarely contacted Jungkook. That was his favorite thing about being in Killeen already: that he was able to speak to, and actually see his best friend so often.

"Four years is long enough, Jimin," Jungkook said, and Jimin agreed. "Do you want to hear what I'd do if I were in your shoes right now?"

Jimin sniffed. "Does it involve murder?" He hedged, because Jungkook was very strong and very angry, still, about everything.

Jungkook laughed, a big laugh that made his voice squeak whenever he breathed in, and it made Jimin huff a laugh along with him. "I can't talk about that here," he said in a chuckle, which pretty much answered Jimin's question. "But no, specifically about this, you wanna know what I'd do? I'd go out with the guy - as friends. Get to know him some more. See if he seems like a good guy. After a few hang-outs, let me run his name in a soft check - nothing too deep, I know," he added, knowing how Jimin wouldn't like the idea of Jungkook looking into his background like that. Jimin couldn't deny it might be useful, but he also didn't think it was fair, since he certainly didn't answer many questions when asked. "And then, if you're still interested in him, I'd tell him the truth."

Jimin tensed. "The truth?"

"Yeah. Why not?"

"...Which version of the truth?" Jimin asked hesitantly. He'd never told anyone The Truth.

"The real truth, Jimin," Jungkook answered, as if he weren't sucking the air straight from Jimin's lungs. "It's not like I'm telling you to do it tomorrow. Not until you've hung out with him a few times, gotten to know him as a friend to see if you like him even that much, then let me dig into him a little to make sure he's a good guy on paper, and then a few dates to see if you're interested in him as more than a friend. What's so scary about that? This is a few weeks down the road - hell, if you wanted, maybe even a few months! You could do that."

Jimin nuzzled his cheek against Nemesis's soft fur. "That's scary," he whispered.

He could hear the shrug in Jungkook's voice when he replied. "It's completely on your own time, though, by your own choice, and you'd only share what you're comfortable sharing. If he wants to stick around, knowing what's going down with you, he can make that decision on his own, and then you have no reason to feel guilty for deceiving him, or whatever it is I know you're feeling."

Jungkook, for being a friend he'd rarely actually seen him over the last few years since high school, knew Jimin incredibly well; it was almost creepy.

"I think you're right, though," Jimin answered slowly, straightening up and stretching his back from having been at the weird angle for too long. "Maybe I should just try to be his friend. For now, I mean," he said, his cheeks going red. "I don't - there's just something about him, Jungkook. He's always so kind to me, really nice, and he doesn't - he knows when I'm lying to him, right? But he doesn't get mad, doesn't call me on it or force me to explain myself or tell the truth. He's super perceptive, too, like... He can tell when I'm uncomfortable about something and he steers the conversation away from that topic, and he's never been weird about the dogs or even acted afraid of them, doesn't talk to them but doesn't ignore them, either. Never even asked about them, and he sees them all the time because he lets me bring the dogs into his store. He's just super...chill. And funny. He makes me laugh like it's his personal mission to do it every time we talk." Jimin could feel himself rambling, heard himself going on and on about a guy to his best friend, and could feel the heat on his cheeks, but what he couldn't do was stop. Jungkook let him ramble for minutes on end about Yoongi until Jimin heard static on the other end, some weird noises, and Jungkook butted in.

"Gotta go." And the line went dead.

Still, Jimin smiled. Jungkook had been called away mid-conversation, but Jimin was still happy, and he got up to straighten up the house with a renewed purpose. He would go see Yoongi today, and he's ask him to hang out with him. That was that.

===

Yoongi was pretty sure Jimin would skip out on coming to TGO, given his obvious nerves at being the object of anyone's interest, so as he rang up a serviceman (Yoongi only knew because he asked for a military discount and flashed his identification card) for his ammo and hunting apparel, Yoongi was not in the best of moods.

That all changed, though, when the man (a Staff Sergeant Anderson) paused in taking out his card and said, "Holyshit, that's a big dog."

Yoongi looked up, a smile on his face, as Jimin walked in with the big mastiff at his side. "Basically a grizzly bear, isn't it?" Yoongi said, loud enough for Jimin, who was almost to the register, to hear. Jimin laughed, covering his mouth with his hand, and a little bit of a blush seemed to raise on the tops of his apple cheeks. "Is this all for you, sir?" Yoongi asked the man, jarring his attention back to his purchases and away from Jimin.

"O-oh, yeah, thanks," Anderson answered, and Yoongi smiled as he put the receipt in one of the bags.

"Awesome. You'll have to let me know if you catch anything, then, when you come back in. Have a good day," Yoongi answered back, and the man took the bag and, giving a wide berth around Jimin and Soteria, left the store. Soteria turned bodily to watch the man leave, her tail swaying lowly as she watched.

Jimin and Yoongi made eye contact and held it, the air around them thick and charged with something Yoongi liked at once. After a moment, though, they both cracked up, laughing, and Yoongi sat down in the chair near the register. "Wasn't sure if you'd come," he said, and instantly regretted it.

Jimin didn't seem to mind, though, giving a small, short laugh that was more like a quick exhale, and looked down before he looked back up at Yoongi. "You don't have much faith in how cute you are," he answered.

Yoongi's cheeks warmed even as he jerked back in surprise. Jimin flirting with him wasn't a possible answer he'd prepared for. "Cute?" He asked, incredulous. "Me?! I'm not cute," he complained.

"You are," Jimin insisted lightly, laughing and nodding as he leaned against the register bar. "In a...sincere way. You're sincere, I guess. Open and honest, I mean."

Jimin was blushing as he responded, and Yoongi tried not to feel that swoop of guilt. He'd killed before. He'd had people killed. He sold illegal guns off to other gangs, for god's sake. Why was he feeling guilty over not being one hundred percent truthful to Jimin? "I try to be," he murmured, giving Jimin a look he seemed not to be able to read, if the confusion and frustration on his face said anything.

"You always seem to say what's on your mind," Jimin said, and Yoongi knew at once he was trying to probe for answers.

"I usually do," Yoongi answered. "Or most of it, at least. Not everything I think is polite enough to be said out loud, of course, but I'm pretty blunt. It's one of my faults."

"I like it," Jimin said, and swallowed. "I don't have many people who can give me honesty all the time."

"You hang out with liars?" Yoongi asked softly, cocking his head to the side. Why would a sweet person like Jimin not have people willing to be honest with him in his life?

Jimin laughed softly, rubbing his thumb and forefinger in a circle on Soteria's ear. The dog looked up at him and her tongue lolled out of the side of her mouth, changing her from a terrifying beast to an overgrown puppy. Who could also kill you. "I don't hang out with many people at all," Jimin finally answered, and looked up at Yoongi, a little bit of vulnerability in his eyes. "I just moved here, and all, so I don't have very many friends. Don't know many people."

Yoongi wanted to ask. But what about family? What about friends from where you used to live? What about old classmates? People you went to high school with? A weird kid from a soccer team you used to play on? That one lunch lady? A teacher who inspired you? An old babysitter? Really? Nobody is in your life from before you moved to Killeen? But he didn't. He knew better, already, than to ask about Jimin's past. "Well, you've got me, and you've got Jin, who's honest, but he's too soft to be blunt. Once Hoseok gets over himself and your dogs, he's nice, and his boyfriend Taehyung..." Yoongi trailed off, realizing he was talking about his top tier gun cartel men being introduced to Jimin at the same time as he registered the overwhelmed look in Jimin's eyes. Probably at the thought of meeting so many people. "But meeting them might prove difficult, since we've all got different schedules, and stuff," he added, noting with satisfaction the relief in Jimin's eyes.

"You've got so many friends," Jimin replied, a little breathlessly, and Yoongi grimaced.

"They're friends as much as they are employees, except Jin and Hobi," he admitted. "I grew up with Jin, and Hobi and I met a few years ago and never looked back. He's gotten me into almost as much trouble as he's gotten me out of."

Jimin giggled. "I can't imagine you getting into trouble, if I'm honest," he said questioningly.

Yoongi wanted to laugh. "I was a very dumb teenager," he said evasively, though he snorted to hide the maneuver.

Jimin smiled, probably trying to imagine a rebellious teenaged Yoongi. "And Jin? Was he a trouble-maker?" He asked, though he looked amused, like he knew what the answer would be.

"God, no. He's always been a chicken shit. Never wanted to sneak into an R-rated movie, never wanted to drink our parents' liquor, never wanted to lie and say we were sleeping over at each other's houses and secretly go meet up with boys or girls, never wanted to use a fake ID. He's always been on the straight and narrow. Or, well," Yoongi snorted, "he's always been on the narrow."

Jimin laughed, loud and open, and it made Yoongi laugh with him, pleased at having made the sweet boy light up like that. "You - you're so funny," Jimin answered, and Yoongi hummed appreciatively. Jimin stared at Yoongi for a moment longer, a smile still on his face, before he seemed to remember himself. "I, uh. Do you like dog parks?" He asked, nerves returning to his face.

"I -" How the hell would Youngi know? He's never had a dog. "I haven't been to one, but what's not to like about them?" He asked. "Why?"

Jimin tried to smile and failed, fidgeting with his shirt. It was cute, but Yoongi decided immediately that he didn't like Jimin looking nervous. By the sounds he heard of Soteria shifting around on the floor, neither did the dog. "I - well, I've been needing to take the pu- the dogs out for some play time," he said, stumbling over his words, "since all they've been doing is working, and I was wondering if you wanted to go with me. Later. When I go. To the park. The dog park, I mean. With - with the dogs."

Yoongi didn't fight the smile, but he did delay it, making his lips curve up slower so Jimin didn't think he was making fun of him for his rambling. Jimin was blushing badly anyway, though, so Yoongi said, "Yeah, I'd love to go. Er - I work tomorrow at one to six, so -"

"We could go in the morning," Jimin rushed out, "so you don't have to go when you're all tired from work. That - probably works better, anyway, there probably aren't as many people early in the morning. If that works for you, I mean."

Yoongi found himself nodding. "Yeah, that works," he said. "What time do you want to go?"

"Uh, well, I don't get back 'til, like, seven..." Jimin muttered to himself quickly, and Yoongi wondered where the man would be going before seven in the morning, but he didn't ask. "Eight or nine?" He suggested, looking a little hopeful. "Or we could do, like, ten, if you prefer to sleep in."

Yoongi definitely wanted to sleep in, but in his mind's eye he saw Jimin in his house, pacing anxiously and looking at his watch, waiting around for Yoongi, the dogs getting more upset as they follow him around. He didn't like the idea, and found himself - he always seemed to be finding himself doing things around Jimin, rather than consciously deciding to do them - shaking his head. "We can do nine," he said, smiling. "I'll bring some coffee, if you want?"

Jimin's smile was slow, but it was breathtaking as it scrunched his cheeks up and closed his eyes into crescents atop them. He schooled his features into one of mock seriousness, then, and Yoongi was charmed, because it was clear Jimin's natural personality was shining through. The man was made to be goofy, silly, playful; it was obvious. "I take my coffee order very seriously, I'll have you know," Jimin said, nodding his head like a small child would.

Yoongi scrambled around the bar, looking for a pen and a pad, and when he found both, he hunched over the pad, uncapped the pen, licked his lips, and stared expectantly at Jimin, playing up the role of a teacher's pet. "What will it be?" He asked.

Jimin was clearly fighting a smile. "I want," he said slowly, like he was speaking to a child, "a medium. Vanilla bean. Frappe. With... Are you ready?" Jimin licked his upper lip as he drew out the suspense, leaving Yoongi fighting a smile. "Two pumps - two pumps - of hazelnut."

"So, a large iced coffee with four pumps of chocolate?" Yoongi repeated, and Jimin laughed.

"You've got it!" He cheered, clapping his hands.

They joked around for the better part of an hour after solidifying their plans for the next morning (Yoongi did write down the correct order), occasionally interrupted by a customer or worker asking where Yoongi wanted this item or that, though it was pretty dead in this time of a typical week day evening. Eventually, Jimin left, and Yoongi was sad to see him go, but not surprised.

"Nemi's probably foaming at the mouth for being left behind so long," Jimin laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Usually, he's my 'let's go on an adventure' buddy, while Teri stays at the house."

"How come you brought Teri out?" Yoongi asked, looking down at the massive bulk of dog who hadn't really moved, except closer to Jimin. Now, she was laying on the floor, one of her legs crossing over Jimin's left foot while she rested her side up against his leg.

"She needs to be socialized a little more," Jimin said, and bit his lip. "She's a really good dog, and she always listens to whatever command I give, but she gets stressed when there are people she doesn't know around, even if I'm not stressed -" Somehow, Yoongi doubted that happened often "-so I need to start taking her out more. Nemi will just have to deal, I guess."

"Do you always have to have someone guarding the house?" Yoongi asked, considering Jimin's options. "I mean, why not just bring both of the dogs when you go around places?"

Jimin swallowed, and Yoongi realized that what he thought was an innocent question maybe wasn't so black and white. He couldn't for the life of him imagine what part of having both dogs around would stress him, but -

"I prefer having one of the dogs at home," Jimin said quietly, and, oh.

Jimin felt unsafe in his own home, Yoongi realized with a gut-wrenching frown.

"Just - because it's a lot, having both of them," Jimin rushed to lie, covering for himself, though it looked like he was doing it resignedly, like he already knew Yoongi knew it was a lie and was only saying it out of habit.

"Gotcha, I can imagine they're a lot at once," Yoongi lied, looking down at the pooch. Nemesis and Soteria were easier to care for than Jin's sugar gliders, and all those things did was sleep.

"Yeah..." Jimin said awkwardly.

Yoongi cleared his throat. "Still, I'm sure they'll be happy to go out to the park tomorrow, run around and play. Go on and suck up to Nemesis so he's not cranky tomorrow. I'd rather keep all my limbs," he added with a laugh that Jimin echoed, though he swatted harmlessly at Yoongi, not even making contact with his shirt.

"Alright, alright," he said, grinning, "I'm going. See you at nine?"

"See you at nine," Yoongi confirmed with a smile. Jimin stood up straight, took a step back, clicked his tongue gently, and murmured, "Let's go, Teri-girl."

Yoongi watched as the dog scrambled to all fours and followed him out, but he was really watching the sway of Jimin's hips as he left.

===

Jimin was not nervous.

He wasn't.

"Everything's going to be fine," he told himself, just before he tripped over Nemesis for the third time that morning and nearly went crashing, face-first, to the ground. "Ah, fuck!" He said as he caught himself just in time. Poor Nemesis was pinned to the ground under his shin, and when Jimin twisted around him to sit down on the floor and roll his wrist around, the dog, tail almost tucked between his legs, approached Jimin slowly. "Awe, come here, bud," Jimin soothed him, scratching at his back and hugging him close. "You're fine; I'm not mad. You're a good boy, aren't you?" Jimin asked, raising his pitch to excite Nemesis. Deadly and vicious though he may be to anyone who threatened Jimin's well-being, he was still just a big, dorky puppy at the end of the day, and his tail wagged and his ears perked up. Jealous of the attention her brother was getting, Soteria hurried over and bowled Nemesis over with her superior body mass, stepping between Jimin's legs to get into his space, nearly knocking his head with her face.

"Teri," Jimin scolded with a laugh, pushing her back a little bit so he could pull Nemesis back into his arms and love on them both. "You big, jealous baby," he told her, though he hugged her, too.

It was a sign that Jimin was definitely nervous. If his pacing had gotten so bad that Nemesis started pacing, too, he was definitely nervous. Jimin forced himself to calm down. It was Yoongi, who was kind and funny, and had never made Jimin even slightly uncomfortable. Plus, he'd have the dogs with him. Both of them, even. He was sure to be safe.

But even as he thought it, he realized he wasn't nervous for his own personal safety. Not today, at least. Not this time. What was he nervous for?

Before he could figure it out, both dogs were alert and Soteria was running toward the door, snarling and growling, though her hair wasn't standing on end. Jimin took comfort in that, and stood to head toward the door, Nemesis practically glued to his right leg. Just as he got to the door, he heard Yoongi's voice on the other side of it.

"Hey, Jimin," Yoongi was saying, and Jimin paused and realized Yoongi hadn't even knocked on the door yet. "No, that's stupid. Good morning," he said, lowering his voice, before returning it back to its normal (already pretty low) pitch. Jimin looked through the peephole and saw Yoongi, holding two drinks in one enormous hand - good lord, Jimin thought with a distracting shiver - looking a little off-kilter, just like Jimin was currently feeling. "No, what the fuck am I trying to do? Good morning, hey, how are you? Yeah," he said, and cleared his throat. "Yeah, I'll just - casual. Casual. Don't even know if this is a date, so it's just - casual. Just two dudes hanging out. Two guys. Casual. With a lot of tension because one of them has a big, fat, stupid crush on the other, but it's fine, it's fine. Jesus Christ, those dogs are loud. Alright. Cool. Okay."

Jimin heard one more cough, and then jumped as Yoongi knocked on the door. The dogs got even louder, as if they were pissed off Yoongi dared to touch their front door, and Jimin waited a few moments before he said, "Easy," to silence them. "Just one second!" He called to Yoongi, and then said to his dogs, "Vests." Immediately, the dogs went to retrieve their vests while Jimin grabbed their leashes and, carrying them over to Jimin, held them in their mouths until Jimin took them and snapped them on. When the vests were secured, Jimin clicked their leashes on and, after grabbing a few baggies to pick up after them in case he needed them, double-checked that he had everything he needed (keys, wallet, phone, sunglasses) and unlocked the door.

When he opened the door, Yoongi was still standing there, waiting, though he now held a drink in each hand. "Hey, good morning," Yoongi said, in the same pitch Jimin had just heard him practice. "How are you?"

Jimin smiled before stepping out of the house. "Morning," he said, feeling a little shy. "I'm good, thanks. How are you?" He locked the door and double-checked it as he spoke, looking over his shoulder at Yoongi while the dogs sniffed at him without getting in his space. (Most likely, they were looking for food.)

"Oh, I'm good," Yoongi said, and then thrust a cup out to Jimin. "Here's your drink, by the way. Small chai latte with eight Splenda's, just how you like it."

Jimin laughed, accepting the cup with thanks, and took a sip. It was heavenly. Exactly how he liked it. Jungkook's voice rang in his ears. You deserve to have friends who know how you take your coffee, even if they don't know why you have your dogs. How right he was. Jimin was still smiling, and when he opened his eyes, Yoongi was watching him with a soft-looking smile that Jimin didn't really know how to place. He just smiled back, instead of trying.

"Ready to go?" Yoongi asked, eventually, and Jimin nodded.

"I'm all set!"

They set off down the street, having decided to walk because it was just a few blocks down, and Jimin found that he liked seeing how many people Yoongi knew, and how many people knew Yoongi. Having a big outdoors store in an outdoorsy city like Killeen was clearly good for his reputation, and Yoongi was often greeted as they walked down the street, meaning that Jimin also got a friendly head nod as he walked with him.

"I didn't know you were a local celebrity," Jimin teased, making Yoongi snort.

"Hardly," he said, taking a big drink of his extra large coffee. "Just the only outdoor sports store that doesn't price gauge in the summer or near hunting season," he reasoned. "It earned the store a lot of respect when we didn't raise prices to compete with the brand name stores. We could definitely charge more for our stuff, since it's quality and all the other bigger name stores do the same, but honestly, TGO has always been around for the community, and people here need to be outdoors."

"Do you?" Jimin asked curiously, and Yoongi snorted again.

"Me? God, no. I hate hunting, don't like being in the sun long enough for fishing, and I'm horribly uncoordinated when it comes to most sports and outdoor activities. If the store wasn't the family business, I definitely wouldn't be running it."

"You don't like it?" Jimin asked, surprised. Yoongi always seemed so fond of the place.

"Oh, no, don't get me wrong," Yoongi defended, "I love it. I love the store, I love the people; I love the business. It genuinely makes me happy. And while I certainly am interested in all the stuff that comes with it, as well as outdoor sports, I'm not interested in taking part in any of them, you know? Like, I love bows and arrows, I know a lot about bows and arrows, I own a bow and arrows, but I don't go to the range every Thursday night for target bingo."

"They have target bingo?" Jimin asked, distracted by the least important bit of information. Yoongi gave him an amused, exasperated look, and Jimin giggled into his hand. "I'm sorry! I just didn't know that was a thing. But, why keep the business if you aren't interested in the merchandise? Or, why keep the store the same? It's yours, right? You could change it to anything you want. Why not do that?"

Yoongi stewed quietly on the thought, and Jimin peeked over at him a few times to make sure he wasn't upset, but he always just looked pensive. "I think," he said at long last, and Jimin breathed out a sigh of relief. Yoongi smiled at him, obviously having caught it, making Jimin rub at his own cheeks. "I think I'm just too in love with what it's been to me growing up. The stores been around for years - I mean since before I was even born - and to think of changing it just...doesn't seem right. I don't go hunting or fishing, no, but so many people in the community do, and the store's been a staple of the community for so long that I feel like it wouldn't be fair for me to change it - at all. I know it may sound weird, since I have no interest in the stuff the store sells, but I'm too in love with it to change it."

"I'm kind of like that with routine," Jimin said, and Yoongi gave him his full attention at once. Jimin wondered how much of it was because Yoongi wanted to know and how much was because Jimin was voluntarily offering information about himself. "Like, I'm a very routine person, right, and sometimes I really hate it, because it can be boring, and if you don't know a lot of people who are down to be routine with you, it can get really lonely, too. But at the same time, the thought of changing up the routine can be -"

"Overwhelming," Yoongi offered, gently, when Jimin cut himself off because it got too real.

"Yeah," Jimin said. They stayed in companionable silence for a few moments, both thinking, and Jimin said, with a self-conscious laugh, "Sorry, that kind of ruined the fun, light mood we had going, there."

But Yoongi shook his head. "Don't worry about it," he said, sounding genuine. "You aren't here to entertain me; that's not the price you pay for friendship. If you want to get real, then get real. If not, then, that's fine, too. But it's not a big deal either way. I'm not going to freak out if you have something to say, and I'm not gonna freak out if you don't." The whole statement felt, to Jimin, like one giant metaphorical shrug - but a really good one. It felt like it was a shrug Yoongi was gifting to him, like he'd put it down on Jimin's shoulders and showed him how to make his shoulders shrug like that, lifting the weight of the pressure to always be positive in the face of company. And just like that, Jimin was more relaxed around him.

"Thanks," he said gratefully, and Yoongi smiled.

When they got to the dog park, there were only a few people there - a few couples, it looked like, with their young dogs and puppies, and a few older people and one teenager, all with their own dog or two. When Jimin walked through the double gates, Yoongi following, he double-checked that the gates were shut firmly - he didn't want to be responsible for someone else's dog running out and possibly getting hurt - he took the vests off of Teri and Nemi, released their leashes, and told them in an excited voice, "Go play!", sending them off in different directions, running faster than most of the other dogs in the area.

"Damn, they're fast," Yoongi said, admiringly. "And strong. You can literally see the muscles as they run, wow, that's so cool."

Jimin tried not to be lame about it, but his chest puffed up with pride anyway as Yoongi complimented his babies. "They're good dogs," he said, distracted as he watched them run the perimeter of the dog park, almost like they were racing while working. He laughed at their antics, and Yoongi huffed a laugh through his nose, as well.

"How long have you had them?" Yoongi asked, and Jimin stiffened, trying to imagine how that information could be dangerous. He wasn't sure.

Slowly, he answered, "I've had them for a few years, got them while I was in college." Technically, it wasn't a lie; he'd had Jungkook look into dogs nearly a year before he'd made a run for it, and when Jungkook had called him a few months later at his work study - the only way they could contact one another safely - to tell him he'd found Soteria, as well, Jungkook promised to train them well until Jimin was ready, and asked him to send clothes he slept in or wore often so they could familiarize themselves with his scent, recognize him so that when he needed them, they'd be ready. That Jimin didn't actually meet them until he'd left college was irrelevant; they'd been his for months by then.

"That's cool," Yoongi said lightly, though Jimin suspected he'd picked up on the heaviness of the conversation that should have been casual. "I've never had a dog; my parents were never fond of the idea. I saw this video when I was younger, you know those videos, the compilations? There was one where dogs were doing dumb things, like quirky habits they had, and stuff, and I wanted a dog so bad because I thought they were the cutest thing."

Jimin laughed. "When Nemi was a puppy, he used to chew on everything. Like, not even just toys or shoes or furniture, he would just put anything in his mouth; it was terrible. It used to stress us out so bad - me and my friend who helped me take care of them, when I first got them. He still does it, sometimes, when he's not working. I won't be surprised if he starts up now that he's off duty here."

Yoongi laughed. "Why not put one of those muzzles on him? The ones that they can still breathe and drink, but can't open their mouth wide enough to eat stuff?"

"Because then he couldn't attack if he needed to," Jimin said without thinking, and then gasped and covered his mouth up. Yoongi looked surprise, and Jimin wanted to cry. Or die. Or something; he didn't know. He tried to laugh it off, but he knew it wouldn't work. "Oh, god, that makes me sound like I'm so paranoid," he laughed, forcedly.

Yoongi laughed with him, but Jimin could tell it was out of kindness that he did it. He still looked surprised. He was trying to fight it, though; Jimin could see him trying to school his features back.

"Sorry," Jimin said, quietly, self-conscious again.

"Don't be," Yoongi said, brushing off Jimin's weirdness once again easily as if it were a slightly annoying fly. "I figured you didn't have two giant attack dogs for no reason," he added with a shrug. "I was just more surprised that you said it, if I'm completely honest. You tend to dance around it, like you're not comfortable talking about it."

Jimin stared at Yoongi's handsome face with wide eyes and an open mouth. "You - don't you want to know why I have two giant attack dogs?" He asked, incredulous that Yoongi didn't seem to be fussed.

"Of course, I do," Yoongi said, staring evenly at Jimin, "but that doesn't mean you owe me the answer. It doesn't mean I'm going to ask. You'll tell me when you want to," he finished confidently, a smile turning the corners of his lips up just slightly.

Jimin chewed his lip for a while, thinking over Yoongi's words. "I want to," he confessed, and Yoongi's fingers twitched, where they lay resting in his lap. "But - later? Maybe?"

Yoongi nodded slowly, not breaking Jimin's eye contact. "When you're ready," he emphasized. "I don't need to know why you have the dogs; as long as they're doing their job in keeping you safe, I'm content."

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Jimin went over to TGO almost every day with one of the dogs. Sometimes, he genuinely did ask Yoongi about guns: which he preferred, which were better for short-range, which were more about protection and which had the best ammo, et cetera. Jimin had learned a lot about guns at this point. Usually, though, he just talked to Yoongi. He met Hoseok – Hobi, the man insisted Jimin call him – one day when he was with Nemesis, and the look on the poor man’s face when he saw the German Shepherd was so pitiful that it was actually funny. Hobi calmed down the more Nemesis showed that he really just wanted to lay down and was content to do so as long as nobody approached Jimin, but Jimin noticed Hobi’s shoulders sag with relief when Jimin said his goodbyes. Some days, Jin worked the register when Jimin came in, and on the second day, Jin greeted him so excitedly from behind the counter that Soteria, who was his companion of the day, balked and began growling lowly. “Easy, Teri,” Jimin had murmured to her, letting his fingertips graze her head in a calming stroke. She silenced, but stayed tense as they approached Jimin’s bouncing neighbor. “Jimin! I was hoping you would come in!” He said with a wide, beautiful smile. He reached into his pocket. “Look who I brought!” In his hands were tiny little – rodents? – that were so damned cute, Jimin couldn’t control his own excited squeal. “Oh, my god, they’re so cute!”To Soteria’s dismay, Jin and Jimin spent a few hours chatting and playing with the little gliders, Jin telling him how to take care of them and how to tell the two cuties apart, and telling him stories of funny things they’ve done. It was a great day, and Jimin found he was barely even disappointed that Yoongi had been too busy in the back to come say hi. Jimin was starting to allow himself to get pretty relaxed around Yoongi, in fact. As the weeks flew by, and it started getting chillier outside, Yoongi and Jimin spent the four days per week Yoongi worked together in The Great Outdoors, but they also went to the dog park at least once a week, and one day, Yoongi suggested they get lunch on the way back. That turned into an every-time thing, with Yoongi buying lunch – he never let Jimin pay, insisting that it was his idea to eat in the first place; Jimin wondered if it was Yoongi’s version of a mini-date, or something – at a street vendor or a fast food restaurant to go so the dogs didn’t have to wait outside. Once, they found themselves at a Mexican restaurant with an outside section, and since they were service dogs, they were welcomed and even given a bowl of water to drink from if they wanted, and they sat down and had a really nice meal. After a few weeks of their dog park dates (dates?), Yoongi waited until Jimin visited him at work before asking hesitantly, “Do you want to go to the range some time? You keep looking at guns, but you should really practice if you want to feel safe with one in your house.” Jimin stayed quiet, biting his lip. He didn’t know if he wanted to be around anyone, shooting loud guns. Yoongi was right, though, and Jimin knew Yoongi wasn’t about to shoot him, or anything. “I can teach you, or just give you some company, even, if you want,” Yoongi added. After a moment of thinking it through, Jimin nodded slowly. “I – could probably use some practice, yeah,” he admitted, his heart racing. “I mean, if you don’t mind, obviously,” he added.“Of course,” Yoongi replied instantly with a smile. Jimin didn’t know how to feel about it, but he decided not to worry too much. It was becoming a constant thing around Yoongi, not worrying much. The man just made it easy.===Yoongi was nervous as hell. As he and Jimin checked into the range, Yoongi having brought two of his own personal pistols, Jimin looked nervous, and it was making Yoongi nervous.“Alright,” he said, voice sounding casual and breezy as if his heart wasn’t pounding a mile a minute, “so we have the paper targets,” he said, holding up massive stacks of printed papers nearly the size of his entire torso. “And the goal for this round is to shoot in the red, alright?”Jimin nodded, and Yoongi set his guns down, magazines still in his pocket, as he pinned paper targets on each post. The targets were brightly colored around the outline of a human body, and each section was a different color: black was at the center of the body, where any bullet landing would be an automatic kill; red was the rest of the body, which would do some damage but not necessarily be fatal; blue was around the body in the section close to it, a near miss; green was too far outside to even be hopeful that it would hit. Once Yoongi got back to the stalls, where he and Jimin would be standing, with a divider between them, he handed Jimin his gun and the magazine that went with it. Jimin already knew how to load it, but Yoongi went through the disassembly and assembly of the pistol once again to be certain, and showed him the ammo and explained what the bullets would do. “These bullets aren’t like shotgun shells, so they won’t explode out and pepper anyone,” he said, demonstrating with his hands, “but they’re enough to pierce – possibly even all the way through – a human body, even from a pretty decent distance.” With that, he held up the ammo they would be using. “However, I don’t like wasting good ammo, so we’re using rubber bullets, which won’t pierce the skin usually, but will leave a nasty-ass bruise, could possibly bruise bone or break the skin if you’re close enough, and will definitely tear through paper.”Jimin nodded silently – he’d been pretty quiet the whole time – and Yoongi looked at him closely. “Jimin, do you want to do this?” He asked softly, concerned for the man’s nerves. He didn’t want Jimin to feel like he had to be at a shooting range; it was pretty obvious that he didn’t really want to be dealing with guns in general. Yoongi preferred that he was trained properly, though, if he was still so hell-bent on getting one in his house. Jimin nodded and took a deep breath, and Yoongi watched him critically. “I do,” he said, biting his lip, “but – could I watch you go a round or two first?” He looked at Yoongi hopefully. “I don’t – I want the gun, but I’ve never really been around them unt-” Jimin cut himself off and pressed his lips together, looking away from Yoongi. Yoongi’s heart pounded. Until what? Until what?! he wanted to scream, shaking Jimin. Who brought a gun near you without your approval? Slowly, he nodded. “Unclip your mag, and put on your headphones,” he said, and set his gun down, safety mode on. He put on his safety goggles and headphones, and he turned around. “Come up behind me, and look over my shoulder,” he said. He wasn’t necessarily supposed to let this happen, but he also wanted Jimin to see exactly what he was doing. He felt Jimin’s body heat only moments after he asked him to step up, and it messed with him more than he thought it would. Yoongi took a deep, calming breath, and spread his legs a bit more, so they were just under shoulder-width apart. “You want to stand confidently,” he said, his voice sure and steady (thankfully) as he addressed Jimin. “The goal is to be strong-footed. You raise your arms straight, just a slight bend in the elbow – you never lock your arms, like this,” he said, demonstrating locked arms, his elbows slightly bent in at the weird angle. He relaxed them, and said, “If you lock your elbows, you could shatter them, depending on the kick-back of the gun. So don’t do that. A slight bend. Strong grip, confident feet, straight back, and straight head. Eyes open. You don’t want to close one eye, because it adjusts your vision and you don’t want to overcompensate. If you’ve got an eye closed, it won’t do you any good. Alright?” Yoongi glanced over his shoulder and saw Jimin nodding. His face was close, like this. Yoongi could probably kiss him if he wanted. Well – if Jimin wanted. “Still with me?” He checked, knowing he was probably speaking too loud, but Jimin only nodded, so Yoongi replied, “Alright. I’m about to shoot. Take a step or two back, but stay where you can see me.”Jimin did so, and Yoongi took a deep breath. He could make this bullseye shot with much worse form, and probably on the fly, as well, as he had been shooting at targets since he was seven and shooting at moving targets since he was a preteen. He could hit almost anything with deadly accuracy. He didn’t want to freak Jimin out, though, so he took his time, took a breath, and took a shot. He fired off three shots and then relaxed his stance, flicking the safety back on, and set the gun down facing away from him. He breathed out, took off his headphones and goggles, and turned to Jimin, who was staring at Yoongi wide-eyed. “Alright?” He asked, and Jimin nodded. The younger man swallowed, and asked, “How did you do?”Yoongi held back a scoff, and pressed the release so the target could slide forward on the pulley system. When the paper arrived in front of them, it showed what Yoongi knew it would: all three shots were in the black; two right at the heart, and one slightly lower, near the stomach and almost on the edge of the red.“Wow,” Jimin said, and swallowed again. “Think you’re ready to shoot?” Yoongi offered, and Jimin nodded. “Alright, let’s see.”Jimin moved to his stall, and after releasing his magazine from his gun, Yoongi followed. “Remember, confident stance,” he prompted, and Jimin stepped out just a little more. “Don’t lock your knees; stand confident, but not frozen,” Yoongi corrected. Jimin let out a huff, and Yoongi’s smile stayed hidden where the man wouldn’t see it. “Good. Arms up, then.”Jimin was a quick study, emulating almost exactly what Yoongi told him to do, but his grip was horrendously off. “Your hands,” he pointed out, but Jimin just moved a finger into an even worse position. “No, you – your left hand goes below – you’re right-handed, right?” At Jimin’s reply in the affirmative, Yoongi instructed, “So your left hand goes – yeah, like – no, below, you’re –”By the time Yoongi wanted to karate-chop Jimin in the throat, he gave up. “I don’t mean to be romantic comedy-style cheesy,” he said, stepping closer up to Jimin’s back, “but I’m going to correct this, alright?”There wasn’t any room for Yoongi in the stall to stand next to Jimin, so he moved in behind him. Careful not to line his body up and press against Jimin’s back – pretty confident that Jimin wouldn’t appreciate it – he softly said, “Comin’ in behind you,” and reached around. Jimin gasped, and he bent his arms more so Yoongi could reach his hands, and allowed Yoongi to rearrange his hands on the gun, nearly dropping it twice onto the tray as his grip moved around so much on the pistol. “Sorry to get all up in your space,” Yoongi apologized. He genuinely was sorry, knew Jimin needed his bubble, but he also wasn’t exactly heartbroken to be standing so close to the man. “No, it’s – it’s alright,” Jimin replied, and Yoongi noted the breathlessness in his answer. It made him grin. Once Jimin’s grip was better, Yoongi murmured into Jimin’s ear, “Now, let’s see whatcha got.”Jimin shivered, and he took a deep breath and extended his arms again. Yoongi replaced his headphones just before Jimin shot. Yoongi could tell from where he was that the shot wasn’t in the red – it had gone wide, probably in the green, even, but the next shot was closer, and the shot after that was definitely in the blue. Jimin stopped and looked at Yoongi over his shoulder, but Yoongi gestured what he hoped would be universal for ‘go ahead’, and Jimin took a breath and continued. When he shot off the entire round, he flicked the safety back on, and Yoongi pulled the target back up to them. Two were in the red, and most were in the blue, toward the right. Jimin didn’t look too unhappy with it, and neither was Yoongi. “This is really good,” he praised, making Jimin blush. “Seriously, though. For a first major training, this is really good. You hit the paper eleven times,” he noted after a quick glance, “and you’re really close to hitting the target almost every time. You even clipped your guy in the hip, here,” he pointed out the two holes in the red. “You lean slightly to the right, so make sure you’re keeping both eyes open. You probably closed an eye once you started shooting; that’s pretty common, but it’ll skew your aim.”Jimin nodded, breathing a little heavy, and Yoongi patted his shoulder gently. “How do you feel?” He asked, genuinely concerned. “I’m okay,” Jimin answered. Yoongi knew he was lying a bit. “I mean,” he hedged, and it made Yoongi’s heart soar, “I’m – I don’t want to be shooting, you know? Like…” Jimin swallowed. “I – it’s kind of a necessary evil at the moment,” he answered vaguely. Yoongi didn’t let himself be disappointed by the non-answer. He wouldn’t. Jimin was trying, and it was obvious. Yoongi had noticed over the last few weeks – nearly two months, actually – that Jimin was starting to get more comfortable. He was still pretty quiet, more than happy to make Yoongi do most of the talking, but he was laughing easier, starting to relax around Yoongi’s men in TGO, starting to initiate jokes with Yoongi, even. He was starting to let little things slip – maybe he realized, and maybe he didn’t, but Yoongi was learning about the beautiful man, either way, and loved it. “Firing a weapon should only ever be a necessary evil,” he answered softly, trying to ease Jimin’s discomfort. After a moment, Jimin nodded, and Yoongi gave him a soft, understanding smile. He didn’t know Jimin’s demons, what he was so afraid of, but he imagined it was a person – maybe even a group. He couldn’t imagine Jimin had done anything illegal, or wronged someone darker than himself, or gotten involved with someone nefarious, but either way, it angered him that the man felt so much fear everywhere he went – especially if the dogs weren’t around. Yoongi saw how Jimin was a bit jumpier that day, without the dogs, who weren’t allowed into the range for several reasons (their own safety being one, as the guns were too loud and could harm their hearing, as well as accidental misfires, etc.), and had tried to remain as calm around him as possible, so that hopefully his own calm would sort of…spread, or something. Yoongi didn’t know if it would work, but Jimin seemed relatively relaxed here, at any rate. “Here’s a new sheet,” he said, handing the paper to Jimin. “Put it up and keep trying.”With that, he moved back to his own stall and kept practicing himself, happy to note that his own marksmanship hadn’t gotten rusty, though he hadn’t actually fired a gun in months. He made sure to aim in different places each shot, so it looked like he wasn’t nearly as deadly as he was, but Jimin was still impressed. After a few hours, Yoongi finished a round and felt Jimin tap his shoulder gently. Yoongi put the gun down and looked around, smiling when Jimin was waiting with his hands clasped in front of his own waist, rocking back on his heels. “Can we eat?” He asked, voice nearly a whine. “I’m actually, like…really hungry. I think I’m starving, in fact, and my dogs may hate you forever if I die.”Yoongi laughed, though his heart asked, Just your dogs? Nobody else? “Ah, but if you die, who would let the dogs out of the house to exact their revenge?”Jimin snorted and waved a hand. “My best friend would, silly,” and moved back to his stall to disassemble the gun and gather his used sheets. Yoongi disassembled the gun without seeing it. Jimin had never mentioned a best friend. Up to this point, Yoongi thought Jimin lived his life completely alone, with only Yoongi and, at times, Jin and now Hobi, as his companions. “Tell me about your best friend,” he requested, hopefully casually, as they left the range.Jimin stumbled in his walk. “My best -?” He murmured.“Yeah, your bestie who would sic the dogs after me for not feeding you every three hours,” he teased, trying to make light of what he knew was a monumental conversation for Jimin. Jimin’s laugh bordered on hysteria, but he managed to calm himself down before Yoongi could brush off the topic and declare it not a big deal. “He – his name is Kook,” he said, his voice just slightly shaky. “He’s – we went to the same high school, and then separated during college, but – we kept in contact, kind of. As much as I could, at least,” he added on a mumble that sounded almost regretful. “What’s he like?” Yoongi asked, wanting to steer the topic away from blame. “Oh, he’s – he’s sweet,” Jimin replied, his grin fond. “He’s like a little brother, only he’s about five feet taller and has nine thousand pounds of muscles more than me, so sort of also my big brother,” he laughed. Yoongi laughed with him, imagining small Jimin walking around with an Incredible Hulk-esque young adult. “He’s kind of protective, but that comes with the – and he’s pretty shy, until he gets comfortable. Honestly, his personality doesn’t match his appearance at all, and he really just wants the people he loves to be happy.” Jimin’s face was happy, almost wistful, and Yoongi found himself wondering why, as much as he sees Jimin, he’d never met Kook.“How often do you hang out with him?”“Why do you want to know?” Jimin asked, voice a little sharp all of a sudden. Yoongi balked, actually thrown. Jimin bit his lip, looking apologetic almost instantly, but Yoongi was honestly more shocked than offended. Though, if he was being honest with himself, he really hadn’t liked being the target of that particular tone coming from Jimin. And how ridiculous was that? He could deal with guns being pointed at his face, had dealt with people spitting at his eye, people screaming death threats while he stared coldly on, completely unaffected. Why was this bothering him so badly? Yoongi watched Jimin watching him, his lip caught between his teeth, and it was obvious at once to him that though Jimin regretted being sharp with him, he was on the defensive and wouldn’t apologize for it, either. Yoongi supposed he couldn’t take it personally; it was only natural that a cornered cat lash out once in a while, and it wasn’t as if this was the worst Jimin could ever do to him. Not by a long shot. It was up to Yoongi, then. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, you know,” he said evenly, watching Jimin carefully. Jimin shifted where he stood, still looking like he was trying not to trip over his words to explain himself. “If I ever ask a question you aren’t comfortable answering, that’s fine, Jimin.” And he meant it. Completely. “I’ve already told you; I like you. You aren’t here to entertain me, or to flatter me by doing whatever I want. If you don’t want to answer a question, you don’t. I’m not asking anything for weird reasons; I just want to know about you.”Jimin stayed quiet for so long that Yoongi thought the entire outing was ruined, that he wouldn’t answer at all. Just before he gave up and started walking again, Jimin looked down at his feet. “I’m – not used to people asking, I guess,” he offered, and Yoongi took it as the apology he knew he wouldn’t get. He could see that Jimin couldn’t allow himself to apologize; not this time.“It’s okay,” he replied gently. “Is Kook a sore spot?” He asked, a little hesitantly. Jimin only smiled, though, and shook his head. “No, not at all,” he said, smile growing slightly. “He really is my brother; I feel it. He’s been there through everything. I just – my…ex-boyfriend,” he said, looking at Yoongi like he was gauging his response, and Yoongi nodded for him to keep going, “was kind of.” Jimin swallowed, and it clicked for Yoongi. He suddenly knew everything about Jimin. He could read the man like a book, and knew every single secret Jimin was hiding. “…like Kook very much,” Jimin was saying, and Yoongi shook himself and tuned back in. “I didn’t – well. Kookie and I didn’t speak for a while, and it took some pretty drastic measures to get him back in my life. Long story short, I guess,” he said with a fakely chirpy voice and a forced laugh, “he’s really important to me, but I don’t have many other friends, as you know, so – I guess I just get really defensive about him.”Jimin’s reasoning and response made absolutely no sense at face value, but Yoongi understood it for what it was: a hastily-made cover-up for a slip he hadn’t meant to let loose. “It happens,” he bull-shitted anyway, because he promised himself he wouldn’t force information out of Jimin; he only wanted to get information from Jimin when Jimin was ready for it. They went and got some Chinese food on the way home, and Yoongi walked Jimin all the way up to his door, where they could both hear Soteria at the door. “I never hear Nemesis,” Yoongi remarked as Jimin laughed and cooed at Soteria while unlocking the door. Jimin laughed and mumbled something that Yoongi thought sounded like, “You’re not supposed to.”“What?” Yoongi asked, double checking, and Jimin smiled as he opened the door, allowing Soteria to tackle him and Nemesis to stand in the doorway, teeth showing but not growling. “He’s always been quiet,” Jimin said, and went back to loving on Soteria and, finally, Nemesis, who was satisfied and used to Yoongi enough to only look at him every few seconds while he rubbed all over Jimin, happy to have his human back. Yoongi smiled at the scene, these vicious monster-beasts licking sloppily on Jimin’s arms and hands, Soteria sneakily trying to lick Jimin’s face while she was at it. They were a family, truly, Yoongi realized, and it made him happy that Jimin and the dogs loved each other so much. Yoongi left Jimin’s house with a promise to see each other the next day, Jimin assuring him he would text Yoongi when he was on his way so Yoongi could take lunch and get Taehyung to cover for him, and walked back to his store to run numbers with Jin, as Namjoon had finally gotten word back from the Mesos, who were looking to stash some hot Glocks for a few weeks. Yoongi didn’t typically stash for other people – was more of a trader, personally, but his hideout was secure enough (only himself and Hobi knowing where it was) so he’d decided consider it this once, to see how it went. It was a small stash, anyway, so Yoongi wasn’t too concerned. When Yoongi got back to TGO, Jin and Hobi were hanging out in the back. Sure they had been gossiping about him and Jimin – they rarely seemed to talk about anything else in Yoongi’s presence these days - Yoongi said nothing until he’d grabbed the mug of coffee Hobi poured when he’d heard Yoongi come through the shop door. “Thanks,” Yoongi grunted, and sipped at his drink. “Damn, that’s some good coffee,” he sighed. “Alright, hit me.”“Working with the Mesos could either be really fine or really bad,” Hobi said at once, while Jin sat back and zoned out. He didn’t have any reason to listen, to be honest, and pretty much only cared because he loved the guys and vaguely wanted to know what was going on. Yoongi listened aptly, scrutinizing every word for minute details which may or may not matter, because he wanted to be as prepared as possible to make his decisions. The meeting ended up lasting nearly two hours, because while Jin argued that the income could be really beneficial – especially if they put some aside for low-traffic periods throughout the year – Hobi was pretty against the idea of working with a gang he didn’t know, and they both showed a bit of hesitance to stash. The Mesos had a few days before they needed a response, at any rate, so Yoongi called it quits when he started getting a headache and promised to think on it and have an answer soon. He left TGO and locked up quickly and headed home, wishing more than anything that he could go and see his nephew, Jihoon, his favorite person in the world. He hadn’t been able to spend much time with him lately, since school was about to start back up and the boy was currently involved in soccer, which trained almost daily so they were ready to take on the fall season as soon as school started again. Yoongi made a note to pick Jihoon up from the next practice he could and take him out, or something. Yoongi was nearly in his driveway when his phone rang, and he nearly drove off the rode when he saw Jimin on his screen. “Hello?” Yoongi answered the phone, trying to be casual. Jimin had never called him, but that didn’t mean he could be an idiotic thirteen-year-old when he answered. “Y-Yoongi?” All thoughts of a crush went out the window as soon as Yoongi heard Jimin’s voice, ragged and out of breath. He thought he could hear Soteria whining, maybe, right next to him, but then Jimin breathed a sob down the line. “Yoongi?”Yoongi stopped the car in the middle of the road, unsure if he should turn around. “Are you safe?” He asked, his biggest concern. “Do you need me to pick you up somewhere?”“M-my house, please, I-”Yoongi was already turning a U and heading the opposite way he came, pressing down on the accelerator. “I’m on my way, Jimin; are you hurt?” Yoongi gripped the wheel tightly, knuckles white, and his teeth were gritted as he drove. He tried to wheedle the panic down in his chest and stomach; panic wouldn’t do anything for Jimin right now, and Yoongi needed to be in his right mind if Jimin needed him.“No, I – oh my god, he – I can’t stay here, I can’t st-”“Jimin, are you hurt?” Yoongi emphasized again, grimacing through Jimin’s very obvious panic. “No, I just – I’m not safe, but I’m not hurt,” Jimin replied, taking stunted, stuttering breaths in an attempt to calm himself down. Yoongi could tell it wasn’t working. “Are you having a panic attack?” Yoongi asked when his breathing got more shallow. “No, I – I don’t have anxiety.”Well, Yoongi would call bullshit on that one at a later time. “Can you breathe? I’m about five minutes away, alright?”He was more like ten, but he was speeding, knowing where all the cops liked to hide out at this time. “Kook,” Jimin said, and then sobbed deeper, making Yoongi scrunch his face up. “He’s working; I’m s-sorry to c-call you so late; I didn’t know – what to d- to do,” he continued. “No, honey, it’s fine that you called,” Yoongi replied, and then blushed despite himself when he realized he’d called Jimin something so obviously affectionate. It was, of course, the adrenaline, but that didn’t mean Yoongi should let himself take advantage of the situation. “It’s okay; I’m glad you called. You can always call when you need me.” Jimin was too busy trying to breathe to answer, so Yoongi kept talking. He knew Jimin liked hearing him talk, at any rate. “Or even when you don’t; even if you just want to say hi, you know…or if you’re bored. If you’re cleaning the house and don’t feel like listening to music, maybe. If you can’t sleep. Whatever. You can call. I’ll almost always pick up.”Jimin took a hitched breath, and then quietly said, “Thank you, Yoongi.”Yoongi let the silence linger for a moment. “You’re welcome,” he replied. “Are you almost here?” Jimin asked, sniffling. “Just about to pull up, Jimin,” Yoongi replied. “Can you do me a favor? I need you to pack an overnight bag, or a bag for however long you want to stay at my house. I can always come back and get some more for you, but pack at least for tonight and tomorrow morning. Are you able to do that?”Jimin started crying again, but he answered that he could, and Yoongi rushed as much as he could without being dangerous. When he pulled up to the house, he turned off the engine and took his keys, hand surreptitiously grazing along the strap he wore underneath his shirt across his lower stomach and back, where a holster held the pistol he usually had on him. It was there, of course, and Yoongi undid the stop button that kept it from being pushed upward, in case he needed it fast. “Jimin? I’m here. Is the door open? Can I come in?”“N-no, I have to open the door or Teri -” “Alright. Can you open it, then? It’s just me; I’m gonna help you pack up.”The door opened, and Jimin came out, sniffing heartily like a child. A small sob rose from his chest, but he simply said, “My house is still really…”Yoongi put his phone back in his pocket. “It’s fine, Jimin, I won’t even pay attention, okay?”Jimin hesitated, but he finally allowed Yoongi inside. Instantly, Soteria was on him, her nose pressed cleanly against Yoongi’s hip, letting him know that if he stepped out of line, she could cleanly dislocate it, and Yoongi stayed still until Jimin snapped his fingers at her. The dog backed up, but followed him throughout the house, reminding him that the house was very much her domain, and that she was allowing him to be in it. “Do you have everything you need for tonight?” Yoongi asked, and Jimin nodded, clinging to Nemesis’s fur like it helped ground him. Maybe it did. “Alright. We need the dog food, too, then.”Jimin looked up at Yoongi with a confused frown. “…Dog food?”Yoongi, equally confused, nodded. “I don’t have dogs, remember? I don’t want them to be hungry.”Understanding began to dawn on Jimin’s face, and Yoongi realized the man thought Yoongi would make him leave the dogs at his house since he didn’t have dogs at his own. “You mean they can come?” He asked, his voice squeaky.“Jimin, of course the dogs are coming,” he said, almost horrified at the thought of separating them now. All three of them – Jimin and the two dogs – would go crazy with worry for one another if they were split up, with Jimin in such a clear state of panic. Tears began falling freely, like hearing Yoongi’s words had broken a dam inside of his eyes. He threw himself at Yoongi, crying heartily, and Soteria let out a small, contained howl, more of a whine with extra soul in it than anything else. Yoongi wrapped his arms around Jimin tightly, and Jimin began telling him, in broken pieces of sentences, what was going on. It didn’t make sense, but from what Jimin’s muffled sobs were telling him, there was something had been delivered to his home (maybe?) and it had scared him, and Kook was at work and couldn’t help him, so Yoongi had been his second call. Eventually, Jimin was crying so hard he began to gag, and Yoongi interrupted him. “Jimin, let’s get the dogs’ stuff, hmm? You can tell me about it when we get to my house, but I want you to get out of here so you can get some rest and relax a little bit. For now, let’s take care of the dogs; they’re really worried about you.”Jimin picked himself up at once, almost like a switch had been flipped, and looked at his dogs while he wiped his eyes furiously. “The dogs,” he said, suddenly almost business-like, and nodded, heading to the kitchen. Yoongi stayed where he was and looked around, and he knew he’d promised Jimin he wouldn’t even pay attention to his surroundings, but good lord.The house was fucking empty. Seriously. There was a couch and a coffee table. No TV, no DVDs, not even a bookshelf. There was a phone charger, which Yoongi made sure to snag in case Jimin didn’t have an extra already packed, but no computer, no anything. Glancing around to the dining room, he saw no table to eat at, and down the hallway, there was no shoe rack or coat hanger…nothing. Jimin had no roots, Yoongi realized. Jimin clearly hadn’t stayed anywhere long enough to create any roots. Yoongi texted Hobi, knowing the man would be awake, or that at least Taehyung would be and would probably go through Hobi’s phone for fun.
Put an eye on Jimin’s house ASAP. Around the clock watch, discrete. Now.
Yoongi locked his phone when he heard Jimin approaching, and took the Ziploc bags of dog food he was holding. He offered Jimin a smile and held his arm out in a way that was casual if Jimin didn’t want it, but warm if he did. Jimin clearly wanted it, because he leaned heavily against Yoongi, rubbing his eyes, and Yoongi rubbed his shoulder. “Ready to go to my house?” He asked, and Jimin nodded, sniffing. “Are you sure the dogs can come?” He asked warily, and Yoongi just smiled. “They’re your family,” he responded simply. “Tell them to get into the car.”Jimin double-checked the locks as they left, the dogs standing so close to Jimin that Yoongi had to let go of his shoulder so he didn’t trip, and hopped in cleanly when Yoongi held the back door of his car open for them. Jimin and Yoongi buckled up, and Yoongi looked at Jimin carefully, who in turn was staring at him with nothing but terrified hope. “Let’s go home,” Yoongi said, and turned to back out of the driveway.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Simply put, Jimin was fucking terrified. He’d found him. The car ride was silent to Yoongi’s house, and while it put him on edge, Jimin was glad. He didn’t know how to explain this to Yoongi without coming completely clean, and it was looking like he was going to have to do just that, now, whether he was ready to or not. The past weeks had been wonderful – Yoongi was kind, was pleasant, never pushed him for information but made Jimin want to open up just by being receptive naturally – and Jimin wasn’t ready to end that. He knew telling him about his past would, though. He was putting Yoongi in too much danger, just by being alive around him. Yoongi’s house was nice, modest, a three-bedroom house with a privacy fenced-in back yard and motion lights that lit up as soon as they pulled into his driveway. “Welcome to my house,” Yoongi murmured, and Jimin sniffled and felt the urge to push his fingers through Nemi’s thick fur. He was in the back seat, though, and Jimin couldn’t reach him comfortably. Yoongi killed the engine and hopped out, walking around to grab Jimin’s bags and open his door for him. He let Jimin open the back door for the dogs, who stood but didn’t get out until Jimin told them to, and Jimin was glad that Yoongi stayed next to him, off to the side out of the way but not behind him where he wouldn’t be able to see the man. They walked up the pathway to Yoongi’s front door, where he unlocked it and pushed it open ahead of himself and motioned to let Jimin go in first. Nemesis crept in first, ears up and looking alert and ready to propel himself forward should he need to, while Soteria stayed glued to his right leg, ready to defend.Jimin toed his shoes off and stood uncertainly in the entryway while Yoongi came inside and locked the door behind him, toeing his own shoes off. The dogs were clearly as uncomfortable as Jimin felt, and a pang of regret went through Jimin as he stared at his dogs. He knew they were working dogs – knew they were trained specifically to keep him safe – but couldn’t they just be puppies, just once, without the need to be prepared to kill at a moment’s notice?Yoongi cleared his throat and Jimin looked at him, noticing his face was more relaxed than Jimin would’ve thought it would be, considering the last hour. “You can follow me, I’ll show you where you can sleep,” he said, and started walking onward. Soteria tried to get in front of Yoongi, and Jimin couldn’t help but give off a small laugh – trust Teri to try to protect Yoongi, too, in his own home. “Teri,” he admonished fondly, while Yoongi even chuckled quietly as he waited for Teri to step back and re-glue herself to Jimin’s right leg. Yoongi walked down the hall, passing a door to his left, and headed toward the end of a hallway, where there was a door right in front of him, to his left, and to his right. “This is the bathroom,” he nodded to the door in front of him, “and my room’s right there,” he gestured to the left, “and yours will be right here,” he ended, turning right. “That first door is another bedroom, but it’s made up for my nephew, and I doubt you’d fit into his bed.”Jimin smiled softly, finding himself glad to be close to Yoongi’s room, though he doubted anyone would find him here. Jimin hadn’t exactly made friends over the last few years. “Thanks,” he said, and followed Yoongi into a modest bedroom. It wasn’t small, but it wasn’t anything special – just a queen-sized bed and plain decorations. There was a small closet, a small dresser, a book shelf with a lot of books on it, and a night stand with an alarm clock. “This is really nice,” he said, amazed at the thought of having such a big bed. He had a full-sized bed at his house, but this bed seemed so much bigger already.Yoongi snorted. “You should see Jin’s house, one day,” he said. “He’s got incredible taste and is great at finding cheap shit that looks rich, so his house makes him look like he’s loaded.”Jimin laughed through his nose, and he moved aside so Yoongi could set his bags down on the top of the dresser. “Feel free to unpack and make yourself at home. This room never gets used, unless Hoseok passes out at my place and Tae’s too tired to pick him up, or something. It’s yours, for now, so do whatever you want.”Jimin felt himself blush at the words, ridiculously, and he coughed. “Thank you, really,” he said, feeling overflowed with gratefulness, even though he still felt like jelly inside. “I, uh – I don’t really know how to thank you enough. I’m going to call Kook once he’s off, so I don’t overstay, but he’s on a long shift, so-”“Then let him sleep,” Yoongi interrupted. “You’re fine here, if you want to stay. If you’re comfortable.”Jimin stayed quiet and thought about it, and realized – to his surprise – that he was. He was totally comfortable staying at Yoongi’s. And that was exactly why he shouldn’t stay. “I’ll – I’ll let Kook sleep, but when he wakes up tomorrow, he’ll probably want to come get me anyway. If that’s alright with you.”Jimin felt a bit of nerves rising in his throat when Yoongi frowned at him, scrutinizing his face thoughtfully. “Jimin, I said it was up to you. You don’t have to ask if it’s alright with me. If he’s your friend and you want him to pick you up, he can show up at three in the morning, and I’d still let him in.”Jimin felt a little embarrassed as soon as he realized he’s done that. Asked Yoongi’s permission, like Yoongi owned him. Fuck. One guy is nice to him, and he starts acting like he owes him. This is was exactly how he’d ended up in this spot to being with. “I don’t know why I said it like that,” he said, forcing a laugh he didn’t feel. “I just – okay. Yeah. I’ll see what Kook wants to do, I’ll – I’ll leave a voicemail so he knows…what’s going on. He can. Yeah. Decide then, I guess.”Yoongi stayed quiet for a moment, and then nodded. “You’re welcome to stay as long as you want, alright? I mean that. I’m off tomorrow, anyway.”“Thanks,” Jimin murmured again, knowing he sounded like a broken record, probably, but unable to express it enough. Yoongi didn’t acknowledge it. “Did you eat anything?” He asked, instead. “Are you hungry? I haven’t eaten, yet, so…”Jimin’s stomach growled as soon as he thought about food, and he blushed as he covered it up with his hand, like that would mute the sound of his body screaming for food. Yoongi laughed. “Alright, so I’ll make some for you, too. Pizza good? I’ve got some in the freezer.”Jimin smiled. “Yeah,” he said. “I’ll just – I’ll feed the pups and call Kook, and I’ll be out.”Yoongi nodded. “Oh, let me bring you some –” He disappeared before finishing his sentence, but before Jimin thought to follow him, he was back with two ceramic bowls. “Kitchen is down the hall, by the way; when you’re off the phone, just come on out and I’ll give you the rest of the tour.”===Yoongi left Jimin in the guest bedroom to his privacy and headed to the kitchen to pre-heat the oven. He wandered around the house for a moment before deciding to change into more comfortable clothes, hoping to put Jimin at ease, at least a little bit. When he was dressed in sweats and a t-shirt, he went back to the kitchen to put in the pizza, figuring they could split one pizza just fine. If Jimin looked hungry, Yoongi could always make more food. In Yoongi’s living room was a pair of sliding glass doors that led to the fenced in backyard. Yoongi pulled the curtains aside and stepped outside to make a call, pulling the doors shut behind. From outside, with the curtains pulled, he would be able to see if Jimin left the hallway and was looking for him, but with the doors shut, he wouldn’t be able to hear the conversation. “Hoseok,” Yoongi said the moment the man picked up. “We’ve got Mark and Scotty on the house,” Hobi said immediately, asking no questions. “They’ve got guns on them, but I told them they are absolutely not to be seen. Do you need anything else?”“No, that’s it for now,” Yoongi said, pulling at his bottom lip with his thumb and forefinger, in thought. “Actually, no. When Jin comes in tomorrow, have him run Jimin’s name. Just a soft run, I don’t want him pulling any alarms; I just want to see what we can find.”There was silence on the line for a brief moment, Hobi either hesitant or surprised. “You think he’s an issue?” “No,” Yoongi said, instantly and truthfully. “But I think he’s got some secrets. He’s near shitting himself and I don’t know why. I’m gonna try to get some answers, but I don’t really know anything. Someone’s after him, from what I can pick up, and he’s, like, really dependent on his friend, but depending on what we find out, there could be really good explanations for it all. I’ll find out what I can from him, but I want to know the truth without having to read between lines, if I can.” Inside, Jimin and the dogs had just walked out of the hall and had caught sight of Yoongi outside, so Yoongi waved and opened the door, walking back inside. “No rush, don’t wake Jin up, but when he gets in, that’s what I want him on first. The other stuff can wait for a few hours. Even a day, if they need to.”“Sure thing. Stay on your toes, Yoongs,” Hobi answered, and Yoongi rolled his eyes as he hung up. “Hey, sorry, some of our shipments came in late,” Yoongi lied, gesturing with his phone in explanation. “Pizza should be ready in another ten. Want anything to drink?”“Just water is fine, thanks,” Jimin said. “The dogs are welcome to go out back, by the way, if they want to run around or need to pee, or whatever. The gate’s locked, so they’re good.” Yoongi spoke as he got the water for Jimin. “Oh, and by the way, this is the living room,” he gestured goofily, arms out wide, to the room as he rejoined Jimin in the room, “and that way is the kitchen, obviously. That door right there is to the laundry room, and you have to go through the laundry room to get to the garage, which is basically just a giant playroom for my nephew.”Yoongi sat on the couch, and Jimin joined him, leaving a cushion between them as he leaned against the opposite arm. He folded his socked feet up underneath him, curling up and looking tiny and cute. Delicate. “You love him a lot,” Jimin noted. “Your nephew. You talk about him often.”“Do I?” Yoongi asked with a smile, and nodded. “Don’t tell anyone, but he’s my whole fucking world. I worship that damn kid.”“How old is he?”“He just turned five. Starts his first year of school soon.” Yoongi felt a peaceful smile blooming on his face, and felt happy when Jimin’s face grew one, too. It was stunning. “I thought my brother was a fucking idiot when he said he and his wife were trying to have kids. Never hated them, or anything, but I never wanted them. I wasn’t brought up around kids, or anything, so I didn’t know how to act around him at first. But when I met him at the hospital for the first time, he was so tiny and cute, but so fragile and vulnerable, and I knew instantly that as much as I love my brother, I’d use him as a human shield to protect that baby.” He and Jimin laughed lightly, but they both knew Yoongi was being completely serious. “I’m like that with the dogs,” Jimin said, nudging his knee down towards where the dogs were currently, laying on the floor next to him, relaxing – mostly. “Like, they could take care of themselves, you know? They’re super crazy strong and fast, yada-yada-yada, but they’re my babies and I’m pretty sure I’d lose my mind if they ever got hurt. One time, on a run, Teri stepped on a sticker and started whining, and I thought I was gonna die. I literally just pulled the thorn out of her footpad and she was fine, itching to run again, but I was so afraid she was hurt and my heart just stopped.” Jimin looked like he wanted to say something else, but shut his mouth, and Yoongi smiled so he didn’t feel awkward. “I wish my parents would’ve let me get a dog. It probably would’ve been so fun. I think I would’ve gotten a little one, though. Both of yours could probably knock me down on accident if they got excited about food, or something,” he joked. Jimin snorted. “When I first got Teri, I had to get new furniture, like night stands and stuff, because they were all kind of low and Teri kept knocking stuff off of them with her tail when she wagged it.”Yoongi laughed, imagining a smaller, younger version of the dorky, deadly beast he’d grown distantly fond of over the last few months, guiltily staring up at Jimin when she accidently knocked over a vase, or something. “That must have been so cute, though,” he said, thinking of it.“When it wasn’t frustrating, it was,” Jimin admitted, begrudgingly as he reached down and patted her flank a few times. She leaned up and into the couch, her nose stretching into the air towards him, and he leaned to the side to let her rub their heads together. They lapsed into a quiet, then, until the timer went off for the pizza. Jimin followed Yoongi into the kitchen, so Yoongi handed him the pizza cutter and took out plates for the two of them. Jimin made quick work of it, and they were back on the couch in no time, waiting on their pizza to cool off a bit before they started eating. “So,” Yoongi said, taking a deep breath and trying to figure out how to approach the subject. Jimin set the plate down on his thighs and bit his lips. “I – okay, so, I have to tell you something, and I totally understand however you’re going to feel after this, and if you want me to leave, I can call Kook again and ask hi-”“Jimin, I’m not going to kick you out of my house so late at night,” Yoongi said, trying not to sound stern, though he knew he probably did. “I’m open to hearing what you have to tell me and not making any snap judgements, I promise.”Yoongi saw Jimin staring at him and knew the man was looking for any traces of dishonesty, was looking for any prejudices, was looking for any sign of trouble. Yoongi stared back openly. Finally, Jimin backed down and took a deep breath. Playing with the edge of the plate, he finally started speaking. “When I was – in college, I had a…a boyfriend.” Jimin looked up at Yoongi, waiting for a reaction, but Yoongi had none. Hell, Yoongi had already told Jimin that he had feelings for him; who was Yoongi to judge?“I – okay. So, I was already friends with Kook, remember, with Jungkook, and I had lots of other friends, too, and I was pretty close with my parents, and I have a younger brother, too. Jihyun. Anyway, I started dating this guy, and I…I don’t know, I thought I loved him. I think I did. I’m pretty sure I was in love, but it wasn’t – it wasn’t healthy. He didn’t like me being around other people who thought I was attractive, and said that it was disrespectful to him to hang out with people I knew thought I was, you know, and he – he was older, and he’d dated before, but he was pretty much my first boyfriend, and. I don’t know. I didn’t want to hurt his feelings, so I stopped, right? Because I thought that’s what you do. And he – then he started just, like, thinking everyone thought I was attractive. Even Kook, like everyone. But by then, we’d been dating for so long, like, a year and a half, and I just – God, I was thinking marriage, once we graduated, you know? He’d talked about it a few times, how he’d marry me right then, but I wanted to wait until we graduated because it seemed more sensible, my parents would be happier. And then, you know, then he started getting weird about my parents, saying they didn’t approve of him, and I – I started, you know…not being happy anymore. But by the time I realized it was a problem, I didn’t…have anyone. I’d cut everyone off, and I was too ashamed, I didn’t know how to reach out.“He started…he started hitting me, like, a little, not very often, but enough. You know? Like, sure, I’d cut off all my friends and family, but being hit was – I knew that wasn’t right. I could justify distancing myself from friends, because they thought I was attractive and didn’t adults grow apart from friends when they entered serious relationships, anyway? And I could justify not being close to my family anymore – I was in college, and they didn’t approve of my relationship, wouldn’t let -” Jimin swallowed. “They stopped letting Jihyun come to visit during breaks from school, because of – because of who I was dating. And Jihyun thought it was me, I’m pretty sure, and eventually, it kind of was. I didn’t want him around, not if even I was starting to be uncomfortable, you know? So I just let my parents keep him away. Those things made sense. But when he started hitting me, I just. I woke up, almost. If that makes sense? I woke up. “And one day, I was at work, and he’d called me and I knew he was mad. I knew he would probably hit me when I got back to his dorm – he didn’t want me to go to my dorm, and I knew it’d be worse if I did – and I just…Kook was my only hope. So I used the work phone and took a chance, hoping I remembered his number right, and he picked up, and as soon as he heard my voice, he started crying.” Jimin licked his lips, swallowed, and looked Yoongi in the eye, finally. His eyes were watering. “I hadn’t spoken to him in over a year.”Yoongi didn’t even have a name, but he wanted to kill this guy. Trying not to put too much pressure on Jimin, he took a bite of pizza and chewed thoughtfully before swallowing. “And he forgave you,” he assumed, but Jimin laughed hollowly. “Oh, God, no, he didn’t. He was pissed. And devastated. I’d cut off all contact completely, out of nowhere. I told him I didn’t want to speak to him anymore through a text and blocked his number completely, didn’t tell him where my dorm was – he didn’t go to college, just me, so it was pretty easy. I cut him off, and then my parents kept getting on me about it, and that was another reason I had to cut them off. It made – it made Jooheon mad.“Anyway, it was a long time before Kookie forgave me, but he did want to help as soon as I told him about the violence. He actually got me the dogs. I didn’t want to go the police route, I still loved Jooheon and just thought we were bad for each other. I had a lot of, like, misplaced blame, then. So, I – Kook was a dog trainer, and I asked him to train a guard dog, if I could get him some money. He started working on Nemi.” At the sound of his name, Nemesis looked up, and Jimin smiled and made kissy noises at him, raising his hand so he knew he could stay where he was. “Nemi was almost done with training when Kook saw Teri, and – well. He got her, too. And I started packing things away – only things I really needed – over the next few months, and one day in the middle of spring semester my sophomore year, I withdrew and I left while I was supposed to be in Dr. Bailey’s English Composition 2 class.”Yoongi’s heart was pounding. Jimin shifted and took a few bites. With a mouth full of food, only covered by Jimin’s hand, he continued his story. “I ran straight to Kook, where he was living, and he helped me train the dogs to listen to me before anyone else, even him. And I was already thinking about running, because Jooheon always said he would follow me anywhere I went, one time, when we were fighting, and then…” Jimin swallowed, not looking at Yoongi, but at his plate again. Yoongi wanted to hurl the damn plate against the wall. Jimin took another deep breath. “So, like. Then, Jooheon found me. I was out to lunch by myself, outside on a restaurant patio, had Nemi with me, when he started just freaking the fuck out, fur all up and stuff, and I look up and Jooheon’s right there. Not in the restaurant, but like, right outside the patio’s little fencing area. I had to grab Nemi’s leash and hold him back, don’t know why I didn’t just let him eat him, but I did. And he just walked away, cool as anything. I left before Kook got off work and told him I’d call when I could, not to look for me. I called him, like, three weeks later from Nebraska.”“You taught them his scent,” Yoongi surmised, nodding. Thankfully, they were smart about this. Jimin’s friend must be a great dog trainer, to be able to do something like that. “I wanted them to be the first to know if he made good on his threats to follow me anywhere I went.”Yoongi kept nodding, thoughts going rapidly in his head, firing off one after the other. “And he’s still following you? Jooheon?” The name felt like acid in his mouth.Jimin nodded, with a jittery shudder. “He finds me everywhere I go. I haven’t been able to stay anywhere for a year.”Yoongi wanted to know why he didn’t put a police report out on the guy, but he didn’t want to sound accusatory, either, so he didn’t question it. “So, what happened tonight? If you’re comfortable telling me.”Jimin was quiet for a moment, and Yoongi thought he wouldn’t answer. Finally, though, he stretched his feet out a bit, flexing his toes, and sat up straight. “He always – he has a routine. He always sends a letter, with no return address, just an empty piece of paper. After a few weeks, he sends another. And then if I’m still there, he sends someone to visit my house. If I’m there when that happens, he comes.” Jimin’s eyes started to well up, and Yoongi watched in anger as his face crumbled. He covered his face with his hands, drew up his knees, and rested his forehead on them as he cried. Yoongi waited a moment, and then haltingly scooted towards him, making plenty of noise and moving the couch cushions in case Jimin didn’t want his approach. Jimin didn’t move away, though. In fact, when Yoongi put his fingers softly on Jimin’s wrist, Jimin leaned toward him. Yoongi moved the plate to the coffee table and gently pulled Jimin closer to him, and Jimin leaned his shoulder against the center of Yoongi’s chest as he cried. It wasn’t the most comfortable position to be in for either of them, but Yoongi didn’t mind so much as he was trying not to fuck up the moment, not wanting to make Jimin uncomfortable in such a vulnerable state. After a few minutes of hearing Jimin’s near-silent crying, Yoongi ventured enough to ask, “So this was the blank letter?” Jimin nodded. “Do you…do you want to go to the police?”Yoongi wasn’t afraid of the police – there was no need for him to be – but he didn’t want to invite their presence in his life. If he had to, though…if he needed to, he would. If it would help Jimin finally be free of this bastard. “The police won’t be able to help,” Jimin whispered dejectedly. “He found me after a few months in Nebraska. I hadn’t figured out things like IP addresses, electronic tracking, and stuff. I didn’t know, yet. He found me, sent the – the letter, and I thought it was weird. I got another one, though, and got nervous. A man broke into my house while I was on the way home. Teri nearly killed him, and I came in and beat him unconscious and called the police. They couldn’t find a connection to Jooheon, but I know it was him. There’s no coincidence.”Yoongi sighed. “I wish there was a way for me to help,” he said, feeling frustrated and angry. Only Hobi and Jin would know that by ‘help’, Yoongi meant ‘kill’. Jimin sniffled and shifted, and Yoongi sucked in a breath when Jimin leaned his head on his shoulder. He wrapped his arms gently around Jimin, not wanting him to feel caged in. After a while, Jimin’s crying subsided, and he seemed exhausted. Nemesis whined and Soteria’s husky voice followed, and Yoongi patted the couch. “They can come up,” he offered. Jimin leaned forward to twist around and look at him in surprise. “They can?” He asked. Yoongi chuckled. “I’m not nearly as strict as you seem to think I am, you know,” he said. “I don’t have a dog, but I like them, I’ve told you.”Jimin gave Yoongi a beautiful, wonderfully bright smile, even through his puffy face and red eyes and splotchy skin. God, Yoongi thought he was beautiful. He turned back to the dogs and gave them a weird hand gesture, and the dogs stood and hopped up on the couch at once, crowding him. Teri flopped down on his crotch and thighs, and Jimin huffed out a breathy laugh, while Nemesis slinked in between her and the couch so that his head was actually resting right next to Yoongi’s leg. “Is he going to eat me if I move my leg?” Yoongi asked, mostly joking. Jimin laughed. “Only if you scare him,” he replied with a smile in his voice. Yoongi wasn’t sure if that was a joke or not, so he stayed still. They relaxed, after that, Jimin asking Yoongi to talk about happy things. Yoongi talked about Jihoon, then, and how cute his parents act around the boy, how he wanted to take Jihoon out soon and make it to as many soccer games as he could. Somewhere around four in the morning, someone knocked on his door, and Jimin froze. Yoongi checked his phone, and the dogs started barking like crazy. Nobody had texted or called him, and Jimin gripped his arm. “Who is that?” he asked Yoongi, and Yoongi didn’t know. “I’m not sure,” he admitted, and walked to the door. The dogs were at it, ready and snarling, and Yoongi was just about to reach for the gun safe near his door when he saw through the peephole a man in uniform. “What the fuck,” he muttered, brows furrowing. “Jimin, can you call the dogs off?”“Sorry – Teri, Nemi, come back,” he said, snapping his fingers, and the dogs kept growling, but stopped barking and went back to Jimin, who was still frozen on the couch. Yoongi unlocked the door and opened it, staring up at the man in his doorway. “Can I help you, sir?” He asked, frown on his face. The man shifted, hand folded behind his back, making him appear bigger and more confident and dominant, and said, “Yes, good evening. I’m looking for a Jimin Park, I believe he’s here with you right now?”Yoongi shifted defensively, but he heard Jimin gasp and run to the door, throwing it open despite Yoongi’s wishes. “Kook, you’re here!”Yoongi’s jaw dropped. Jimin’s best friend was a Killeen policeman.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Jimin stood at the open door, staring at his best friend in surprise. “I told you I was okay for the night; you didn’t have to come get me tonight,” he said, feeling bad. Kook must be exhausted. “It’s fine,” he answered, looking tired but unbothered. “I didn’t know if you wanted to…” He trailed off, looking at Yoongi, and Jimin guessed Kook didn’t know how much Yoongi knew about the situation. “I don’t want to make a statement,” he said firmly, and Jungkook’s face darkened into a scowl. “Why don’t you come in, Officer?” Yoongi said suddenly, and stepped back. Jimin followed suit. “Thanks,” Jungkook replied, and stepped in, hovering, uncertain, in the entryway. After a moment, he took his boots off, and they all sat down on the couch. Jimin pushed his plate into Jungkook’s lap, and with a quiet thanks, the officer began eating. Teri sniffed at his food and got gently booped on the snout, so she sneezed and sat on the floor next to Jungkook’s foot, nose twitching like she was ready to catch anything Kook didn’t want. Nemesis lay between Jimin’s feet.“I’m Yoongi Min; it’s nice to meet you,” Yoongi said. “Jimin talks about you a lot.”If it weren’t a tense situation, Jimin knew Kook would say something like ‘anything he says is a filthy lie’, or something, but Jungkook just swallowed his food and answered, “Jungkook Jeon. Nice to meet you, too.”It was awkward for a moment, and Jimin didn’t want it to be like this, so he sighed and said, “I’ve been filling Yoongi in on...everything. With Jooheon.”Jungkook scowled, and a glance at Yoongi told Jimin that he was scowling, too, and Jimin suppressed a smile. Now, Jimin had two angry men on his side. Who would’ve thought?“I’m glad,” Jungkook answered. “Maybe he can talk some sense into you and get you to make a report.”Jimin sighed. “Kookie, I tried that in Nebraska. You know I did. They couldn’t connect him; nothing happened.”“Okay, but now you could start a file, Jimin,” he argued, and Jimin knew this was going to go south. “Do you have the other letters?” Yoongi asked quietly, watching Jimin closely. When they made eye contact, Yoongi’s lips pressed into a hard line, and Jimin didn’t know why. “All of the blank ones. Do you have them?”Jimin swallowed. “Yeah, I - I kept them so I knew I wasn’t going crazy,” he admitted, and immediately felt even crazier. But Yoongi only nodded like he understood, and Jungkook interrupted them again. “That’s good, though! Because you can produce that as evidence.”Wearily, Jimin rubbed his face. “Kookie, all that is evidence of is that someone has had all my addresses for the last, what, six years.”“But it’s something!” Kook argued, getting more upset. Jimin put his head in his hands and felt a hand on his back. Yoongi’s. “It is a start. Did he hand address them?” Yoongi asked.“Yeah,” Jimin answered, “but it’s not like I have a copy of his handwriting, or anything. We couldn’t, like, arrest him for having the same handwriting, or something.”“Of course not,” Yoongi agreed, a small smile on his lips, “but we can at least prove that it’s the same person sending the letters. That alone lets them know that you’ve got someone following and harassing you. It’s not an arrest, but it’s a start. Right, Officer Jeon?”“Exactly,” Kook said immediately, nodding. He was getting hopeful, Jimin could hear it, and he hated it. “Kookie, I don’t see a point. A file isn’t going to do anything if he fucking shows up here.”“No, but if he does, then we could prove that he’s the one stalking you.”“There’s no crime for being in the same place as an ex-boyfriend,” Jimin argued, feeling frustrated. He felt like he and Kook had had this exact argument a million times before.“There’s a difference between happening to be in Killeen, Texas, of all places, at the same exact time as your ex, and being in Texas, Nebraska, Ohio, New York, Florida, Kentucky, Arizon-”“I get it, fuck,” Jimin cried, standing up and looking down at Jungkook, who just looked angry. “I get it, okay? I do, but I don’t-”“What are you afraid is going to happen, Jimin?” Yoongi asked quietly, looking at him with that same searching gaze as always, and Jimin’s anger just disappeared. The room fell silent.“What?”“What are you afraid of?” Yoongi repeated. “Sit down with us, we’re not attacking you.” He reached slowly for Jimin’s hand, and Jimin gave in and sat down, letting Yoongi touch his hand for the first time. “You’re not doubting the police department’s ability; you’re afraid of putting in a report. Why?”Jimin looked over at Jungkook, and the man had a look on his face that told him he’d never thought about the possibility that Jimin was too scared to do it. “Jiminie,” Kook said, his voice sounding tortured, and Jimin’s eyes welled up. “I’m - yes, okay? I’m scared. I’m afraid.” He curled himself up again, but let Yoongi keep holding his hand. “What are you afraid is going to happen?” Yoongi asked, voice calm and quiet. “He’s already stalking me, guys,” Jimin said miserably. “But if I make a report, then it’s official. I definitely live here. And he’ll know for sure. What if he doesn’t send a second letter? Or send the other guy? What if he just shows up?” What if he kills me, is what Jimin knew he didn’t need to say.“He already knows you live here,” Jungkook argued, soft, this time. “He wouldn’t have sent the letter, otherwise. He already knows you’re here.”“Okay, so if I put the police after him, he can just come here, himself.”“But it’s like you said,” Jungkook denied, shaking his head, “we can’t go after him just because someone has sent you non-threatening letters. He wouldn’t even be notified, because he doesn’t include a return address. We can include his information in your file, if you start one up, but we can’t even put him down as an official suspect because we don’t have any other proof, other than your word. There would be no reason for him to find out you ever did it. Not unless he did show up. And if he does, and it’s already in your file, we can take care of it. Don’t you see?”Jimin stayed quiet. He hadn’t ever gotten this far with his arguments with Jungkook, one of them had always walked away from it, not wanting to fight with each other when they both knew Kook was all Jimin had. Jimin sighed, and rolled his head to look at Yoongi. “Why are you such a good peacekeeper?” He asked, reluctantly fond, and Yoongi gave him a smile that showed his teeth and gums, and made him look years younger. “I deal with a five-year-old’s temper tantrums,” he said. His smile faded naturally, and he rubbed his thumb across the back of Jimin’s hand. “Will you do it? I’ll go with you, if you want. Or - I’m sure Officer Jeon would-”“Can you both come?” Jimin looked at Jungkook. “Are you allowed to be with me while I do it? If I do it, can you be there?”Jungkook nodded, looking between Jimin and Yoongi. “We can both be there. We aren’t allowed to talk to you while you’re making the statement, but we can be in the room.”Jimin sighed in relief. Thank God. Steeling himself, he nodded. “Alright, then,” he said. “Tomorrow, we can - we can go to my house, and get all of the letters. And then we can, you know. Go and. And start a file. Oh!” Jimin turned to Yoongi, biting his lip. “If you’re okay spending your day off doing that, I’m sorry. We can-”“It’s fine, Jimin, we can do that,” Yoongi said, and only the soft smile on his face made Jimin nod. There was quiet for a moment, and Jungkook set his plate down on the coffee table. “Alright, well,” he said, stretching his arms out over his long legs, “I should probably get going, then.” He stood, and Teri whined, so he huffed a laugh and bent to scratch her ears. “Jimin, you wanna come to my place, or stay here, since the dogs are already comfortable?”Jimin tried not to smile at Kook obviously giving him a reason to stay with Yoongi. Bless him, he was always a good wingman. “I’ll, uh.” He cleared his throat. “I’ll stay, since the dogs are...if that’s okay with Yoongi.” He turned, then, to find Yoongi looking amused, and smiled when he nodded. “Of course,” he said, obviously fighting a grin, “we wouldn’t want to unsettle the dogs.”“Glad you understand,” Jungkook muttered, and Jimin felt fondness bloom in his chest at the serious tone in his voice. “I’ll walk you out,” he said, and stood. “It was nice to meet you, Yoongi,” Jungkook said as he and Jimin walked toward the door. “Thanks for letting me barge in so late.”“Of course, Officer,” Yoongi said. “Jungkook is fine,” Kook replied, and Yoongi nodded with a friendly smile. Jimin opened the door and let Jungkook out, Nemesis at his side, and Jungkook scratched the pup’s back and stood straight to give Jimin a hug. “I’m proud of you for telling him,” he whispered when Jimin hugged back.Jimin smiled and nodded. “Thanks for telling me to,” he whispered back. He released his friend, then, and gave Jungkook a big smile, one he knew Kook loved to see. “It’s crazy, but something about him...I feel safe when I’m with him. Almost as safe as I do with you.”Jungkook’s eyes searched Jimin’s for a moment, and he looked back into the house at Yoongi, who was talking to (and being ignored by) Soteria, and nodded. “I get that,” he said. “Let’s keep him, then, alright?”Jimin laughed a little and sent his best friend off. “I’ll text you,” he said. Kook raised his hand in response, got into his car, and drove off, so Jimin shut the door and locked it behind him. ===Yoongi woke up in the morning to the sound of movement in his house. He put his hand on the lock next to his bed and pressed, grabbing the pistol from inside it when it unlocked at his fingerprints and opened. He walked swiftly to his bedroom door and opened it, only to be greeted by the sight of Jimin, in shorts and a T-shirt, trying to sneak out of his bedroom with the dogs on leashes, whispering to them to calm down and be quiet so they didn’t wake Yoongi up. Yoongi hurriedly clicked the safety back on and shoved his gun in the waistband of his sweats behind his back, pulling his shirt over to cover it completely. Jimin turned around and nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw Yoongi, squeaking and laughing immediately even as he put a hand on his chest. “I’m sorry, I was trying not to wake you up. We were just going on our run; wanna come?”Yoongi rubbed his eyes and glanced at his watch as he yawned. “It’s six in the morning,” he said dumbly, and Jimin laughed. “It’s a routine the dogs got me into,” he said with a wry smile. “Jungkook used to run them before he went to work when he was training them, and he said it was important that they keep a routine, so…” He laughed and Yoongi realized he must look really stupid, right now, like all his tiredness came back when he realized there was no danger, just Jimin. “You don’t have to come, we’ll only be gone about an hour. I can leave the door unlocked, you can go back to sleep.”Yoongi yawned again, unable to help it, and laughed despite himself. “I think I’ll take you up on that. Go ahead, I’ll leave the door unlocked. Enjoy your run, crazy.” Jimin laughed, sounding like bells, and bade him goodbye. Not two minutes later, the door shut, and Yoongi watched from the living room window as he took off down the street, passing the houses next to Yoongi’s. He didn’t even have earphones in. It was literally just Jimin and his dogs, running for a fucking hour. He was insane. Yoongi made himself some coffee and called Hobi. “Yoongs? What the fuck, man?” His man complained as he answered the phone. “Sorry, I know, woke up early. Listen, Jimin’s best friend is a cop for Killeen.”“The fuck?”“I know.” Yoongi sighed as he poured himself a mug and sat down at the table he never used. “Weird coincidence, isn’t it?”“I was thinking that last night, but there’s no way. None of us have ever gotten police attention; there’s no way he’s a plant. Hell, even my granddad never attracted police attention. We’re model citizens, nobody knows anything about us. We keep this damn city as clean as the cops do.”There was contemplative quiet on the other end of the line, and Yoongi knew Hobi was sitting up in his bed by now, considering his words. “You’re right,” he said eventually. “I don’t think he’s a plant. It really might be a coincidence. Did you get anything out of him last night?”“Yeah,” Yoongi said. “Everything makes sense. He’s on the run from an abusive ex. The cop is his best friend since high school, got him the dogs and trained them to keep him safe since his ex keeps following him everywhere he goes.”“Jesus Christ.”Yoongi didn’t answer. “Yoongi?”“I’m here,” he sighed, and Hobi groaned. “Whatever you’re thinking, fucking stop it,” he warned. “We’re not going on a crusade; that’s not who we are.”“I wasn’t thinking that,” Yoongi said honestly. “I’m not - I mean, I’m not against the idea, but I’m not going to waste time by hunting him down.”“So, where do you go from here?”“I’m going to the station with Jimin and his friend today to start up a file, so there’s at least a history if anything does happen. Pull the guys off Jimin’s house for a day or two, until I can see if they’re gonna put cops on it just in case.” “Sure thing. He doesn’t even have a file?”“He was afraid to piss his ex off,” Yoongi explained. “Didn’t want to add fuel to his fire, which makes sense. But nothing will get to his ex, because they have some suspicious stuff, but nothing substantial enough for an arrest. This way, it’s just enough to back them up if anything happens.”“...Yeah, that does make sense. Shit, man. Poor Jimin. I like that kid.” “He’s a great guy, yeah,” Yoongi agreed.“You’re so fucking weak for him,” Hobi joked. “Shut the fuck up,” Yoongi replied with absolutely no heat. There was even a smile on his lips. “He’s cool, is all.”“’Cool’. Whatever. Pussy.”“Hoseok, I’ll give you all my money from our next deal if Taehyung is not in your bed right now.” When Hobi didn’t reply, he laughed. “I’ll also give you my cut if he’s stayed the night at his own fucking apartment more than twice the last two weeks.” Silence. “Exactly. Bitch.”Hobi snorted, and Taehyung, as if on cue, mumbled something about being too loud.“I guess that’s my cue to leave you alone and let you make breakfast for your honey,” he teased. “Listen, you little bitch, I only called him that when I was drunk and it was in confidence,” Hobi said quietly, and sounding muffled, like he’d pressed the phone right up to his mouth.Yoongi laughed loudly and hung up the phone.He finished his cup of coffee and got ready for the morning, not wanting to hold Jimin up any longer so he didn’t run out of nerves and steam, and by the time Jimin walked back into the house, huffing and puffing, Yoongi was completely ready for the day. “Hey! I thought you’d be asleep, still,” Jimin said, breathing heavily, as he let the dogs in. Soteria flopped down on the tiled floor in the kitchen, and Nemesis went back into Jimin’s room to find a drink. “I figured I could get some work done, as long as I was already up,” Yoongi said with a smile, and Jimin gave him an apologetic grimace. “No, really, I got a lot done,” he said, thinking of keeping Hoseok up to date.“Good,” Jimin’s grimace turned into a smile that was so beautiful, it took Yoongi’s breath away. Fuck, it was too early for this shit. “Oooh, it’s so cold out there,” Jimin said a second later, his whole body shivering. Yoongi laughed. “You’re the one in shorts! I would’ve let you wear a pair of mine, you know.”“Nah, it’s good. I don’t like running in pants. Feels weird on my ankles. It’s weird, I know,” he waved off Yoongi’s snort. “You’re a strange one. Need any breakfast?” Yoongi made to stand up, but Jimin was already shaking his head. “No, thanks, I grabbed a protein shake from the house. I usually drink those after I run.”Yoongi made a face. “That’s not breakfast, that’s torture,” he said, and Jimin laughed again. It was getting easier to make him laugh, and Yoongi loved it.“Maybe, but what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, and all that. I’m gonna go shower; I’ll be out in ten!”===Jimin took a deep breath as Yoongi’s car pulled into his driveway. “Want me to come in with you?” Jimin looked over the driver’s seat and saw Yoongi looking at him with understanding and support, and that was it. No pity, no worry. It helped. “No thanks,” he said. “I’ve got the dogs. I’m gonna leave Teri here when we go, but I’m gonna grab Nemi’s vest and take him with me, I think.”“Sounds good,” Yoongi said. “I’ll be here, then.”“I’ll only be a minute,” Jimin reassured him as he unbuckled his seatbelt. He let Soteria out, but told Nemesis to stay in the car, and laughed at the supremely unimpressed look he got from the German Shepherd in response. ”I’ll be right back, buddy,” he promised the pup, and noticed that Yoongi didn’t even look alarmed at the thought of staying alone with him. Satisfied, Jimin walked Soteria up to the front door of their house, letting her sniff everything out. When she didn’t seem stressed, he started unlocking the locks on the door, and she barged in first, as usual. Jimin waited a few seconds outside the door, as he’d learned to, before stepping in, and Teri was completely relaxed, so he relaxed, too. He spared a moment of bitterness over the thought that he had to live this way, then physically shook his head, like it could rid him of that mindset. He had work to do. He let Teri do her thing and headed to his room, ignoring the creaking floorboards under his feet at certain spots in the old house, and opened up his closet. In the top of the small area was a shelf, and in the corner of that shelf was a small box. Jimin reached on his tiptoes and grabbed the box, and took it back to the front door. He didn’t want to look at it, even if it would help him not overreact in front of Yoongi and Kook at the station. He used to force himself to look at them, when he would start thinking he was going crazy. Jimin took the box to the front door, grabbed Nemi’s service vest, and left a very upset Teri in the house. “Be good, pretty girl, okay?” He murmured to her, kissing her wet nose and having to wipe his lips off with a laugh. “I love you.”He locked the door after himself and stepped into Yoongi’s car, gingerly putting the box at his feet. He buckled himself up and rested his head back on the seat with a sigh. “All good?” Yoongi asked softly, and his tone told Jimin it would be okay if he wasn’t. Jimin nodded, though, looking at Yoongi’s delicate face. He really was stunning. His features were elongated, like a cat’s - his eyes small but wide, brows long, nose thin with the tiniest bit of button-shape at the tip of it, high cheekbones and pointed chin all coming together beautifully. He was beautiful inside, too, though it was cheesy to think it. He was brilliant, sharp, and so kind Jimin rarely knew what to do with him and his endless patience. Jimin stared at him as he saw all of their shared moments - Yoongi’s smiles that showed the gums of his teeth, the irritated scrunch of Yoongi’s nose when his friends teased him or showed off in front of Jimin and Jimin just laughed, the glow on his face when he made Jimin smile, the way Yoongi would put his hands on his face and rub the back of his neck when he got embarrassed - all play in the front of Jimin’s mind like a movie. It all built up and up until he couldn’t take it anymore. “Can I - this is really bad timing, I’m sorry, but can I kiss you? Please?” Jimin blurted out.Yoongi took in a sharp breath, eyes going wide and lips parting slightly, but Jimin waited. He knew Yoongi wanted to kiss him - he’d admitted his feelings and wasn’t exactly trying to hide them. After a moment, Yoongi turned his whole body to Jimin. “Why?” He asked cautiously. Jimin didn’t know how to answer. He licked his lips, and Yoongi followed the movement. “W-why?” He repeated. “Why do you want to kiss me right now, Jimin?” Yoongi asked in a voice so quiet it was nearly a whisper. He leaned forward and cupped Jimin’s cheek, and Jimin closed his eye and leaned into it. “Can you tell me why you want to do it?”Jimin kept his eyes closed but frowned, brows furrowing forward, and shook his head. “I just - want to,” he said. Yoongi was quiet for a moment, his thumb tracing Jimin’s cheekbone, and then exhaled a small laugh through his nose. Jimin opened his eyes in confusion, but Yoongi looked happy. “I’ll tell you what,” Yoongi said, still smiling a small little smile, “I’ll let you kiss me when you can tell me why you want to. Alright?” Yoongi held Jimin’s gaze, eyebrows raised like he was asking if Jimin understood. Jimin nodded, and Yoongi leaned forward and kissed the tip of his nose. Jimin closed his eyes as he felt Yoongi’s soft lips pressing against his skin, and felt his face go hot. “Alright,” Jimin replied, voice small. He placed his hand over Yoongi’s on his cheek and grinned. “I’ll figure it out,” he said, and noticed it sounded like a promise. As Yoongi put the car in reverse and headed to the police station, Jimin realized it was one.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

“Hey, there, stranger,” Yoongi said, grinning as he saw his favorite customer walking in, his favorite giant bear at his side. “Hey, Teri,” he greeted, not minding that she barely wagged her tail when he addressed her. He looked back up at Jimin. “How are you doing?” He asked gently as Jimin reached the counter. It had been almost a week since they’d gone down to the police department together, meeting Jungkook before going in. The file had taken almost an hour to make, and Jimin had given over a box full of an astounding number of blank letters with shaking hands, and had written down every detail he could think of. He’d gripped Yoongi’s right hand with his left while he wrote, and Yoongi had stayed still, while Nemesis remained standing next to Jimin’s right side on the floor. They hadn’t heard much since, and Jimin shook his head.“I mean, it’s officially filed and it’s gone into the system, but nothing can be done until Jooheon does something, so,” he trailed off, shrugging. Yoongi grimaced sympathetically, but nodded. “We’ll figure it out, I promise,” he said. The idea of hunting this asshole down sounded more and more like a good idea. He was more concerned about how Jimin was doing, since he’d been a little depressed since everything and had gone to Jungkook’s house for the last few days. Jimin smiled and placed his hands on the glass display on the counter, something that made Yoongi inwardly cringe because he knew it’d leave clear fingerprints. He’d make Taehyung clean them off later. His attention shifted from the prints, though, noticing that Jimin’s smile had dimmed a bit. “Why do I have a feeling I’m not going to like what’s about to come out of your mouth?” He asked flatly, and Jimin laughed lightly, flushing. Jimin took a deep breath, held it, and then let it all out. “I’m ready to buy a gun,” he said in a rush, and then pressed his lips together in a tight line. Yoongi waited a few seconds to let it sink in, to give Jimin the opportunity to back out, but neither of them said anything, so Yoongi swallowed and nodded. He was elated that Jimin would finally be able to protect himself if he needed to, but he hated that this was happening. After nearly half a minute of silence, Yoongi realized he had to treat Jimin like a regular customer, at this point. No trying to talk him into or out of anything. He nodded. “Alright,” he murmured, ignoring the look of relief on Jimin’s face. “What are you looking at?”Jimin hesitated at this, and said, “I want a handgun,” he said, “something easy to - load and use quickly.”“Did you get a license?”Jimin nodded. “An open carry,” he said, sounding nervous. “I don’t feel the need to conceal it. Do you think I should try to get a concealed carry?”Yoongi sucked his teeth, thinking. “I don’t think it would hurt to have it,” he said slowly, considering Jimin’s options. It would take sixty days for Jimin to get a CCW, but would he need it? “Do you think he’d come up to you in public, or only at your house?”Jimin shrugged a little helplessly. “He’s never actually approached me; that’s the problem.”Yoongi nodded, humming. “I think you’ll be fine with an open carry, to be honest - you can take it anywhere you could with a concealed carry, and it might even deter him or his people from messing with you in the future.”Jimin seemed to deflate in relief at this, smiling gratefully. “Thanks,” he said earnestly. Yoongi nodded and stepped out from behind the counter, gesturing for Jimin to follow him. He grabbed one of the sets of keys and walked slightly sideways, so he could talk to Jimin about his options. “Any handguns you find here are going to be pretty easy to use once you get used to them, but you’ll definitely have to practice with them. I’d recommend more time at the range, for sure.” Jimin nodded at this, and Yoongi led him to a display case of pistols. Opening the display, he grabbed a silver gun with a thick grip, double-checking the safety and empty clip out of habit before handing it over to Jimin, who took it with the care Yoongi had taught him to. He didn’t handle it easily, that much was obvious, but Yoongi knew he could get used to it. “This is a DoubleTap nine; it’s a two-shot. It’s the lightest tactical pistol you’ll find. You can see it’s a double barrel,” he said, running his finger over the twin barrels on the gun, “so there will be two bullets in there, but the grip lets you hold two reload shots - so you’ll have four each time. It also has a double-action trigger pull, that gives you second-strike - means you can shoot twice per second if you need to.”Jimin fumbled with it a little, the grip a little too wide for his small hands, and frowned. He shook his head. “I don’t like it,” he mumbled, and Yoongi nodded and took it back, checking the safety once again before he returned it to its hold in the case. He grabbed a personal favorite and handed it over. “This one looks fancy, but it’s really simple,” he said, holding over a Chiappa M9-22. “It looks like a Beretta M9, which is our basic military gun. It’s obviously gorgeous,” he added fondly, “but it’s really practical, too. It’s got a ten round mag, and - best of all - it’s got a decocking lever, so if you change your mind, the hammer safely goes down and there won’t be any accidents. No missing toes for you,” he added, earning a little smile. He handed the gun over, and added, “If you don’t like that grip, it also comes with a wooden grip. I prefer mine wood to the tactical style, but if your hands sweat a lot, or something, that grip,” he nodded toward the gun in Jimin’s hand, “will keep it more steady. The wooden grips are smoother, more likely to slip if you’re nervous, which - if you’re in a situation where you have to use the gun, you probably will be.” He hated how blunt he had to be, but knowing what was going on with Jimin, he felt like he needed to. Jimin nodded, and gripped the gun tightly, seeing how it felt. “Not bad,” he mumbled, and Yoongi smiled. “That one looks weird,” he added, seeing the gun whose hold Yoongi’s hand was resting on. Yoongi snorted. “I’m not giving you a .22 Long Rifle, Jimin; they’re fun for historical gun enthusiasts, but they’re ridiculously impractical for what you need.”Jimin pouted, and gave the Chiappa back to Yoongi. “What do you recommend?” He asked. Yoongi shrugged. “Depends on what you’re looking for, realistically. Price range aside, guns can go from a little damage to a lot of damage really quickly. If he comes to you, what are you looking to do to him?”Jimin looked a little queasy, and Yoongi clucked over him, sighing as he looked over his guns. Finally, he found what he wanted. It was in a different display, so he locked up the open cabinet and moved over, opening the glass door. “I feel like, realistically, this is your best bet.” He handed Jimin a flat black gun after checking it, and let Jimin fiddle with it. “It’s a Kel-Tec, which is a pretty good gun. They’ve got a lot of really quality weapons. This one is the P11, which has a steel slide. You’ll notice it’s really light, like the DoubleTap. It’s only one ounce heavier, actually, but it’s an automatic. It holds a ten round mag and has a double-strike capability.”Jimin held it well, Yoongi noticed, its slimmer grip fitting better. “Why do you recommend this one?” He asked curiously, releasing the chamber as he messed around with it, familiarizing himself with it. “It’s an auto, which is something I personally think you need,” Yoongi shrugged, trying to be as casual as possible. “Not to be paranoid or scare you, or anything, but you might not have the time to get used to cocking a gun quickly enough, and I’d rather you just be ready if you need it. God forbid, of course.” Jimin’s breath was shaky, but he steadfastly continued looking at the gun. “It’s aluminum and steel, which makes it light, but it also means that you’re not going to have as many tactical issues with it, like you might on a simpler gun with dirtier - I guess I should say more coarse - metals. It’s got that good grip that will keep you from slipping up, and it’s got an external safety function, so you won’t accidentally shoot it off somewhere else.”Jimin nodded, took a deep breath, and looked up at Yoongi. “I’ll take it,” he said, eyes determined. “How much?” === “Fetch!” Yoongi said, throwing the ball pretty far across the dog park. Both Soteria and Nemesis watched the ball land and bounce until it stopped rolling, then looked back at Yoongi, panting. Yoongi pouted, making Jimin laugh. “Teri, recover,” he said, still laughing, and Soteria took off like a bullet for the ball. Yoongi turned to Jimin, still pouting. “‘Recover’? Good god, how do more people not realize she was trained by a cop?”Jimin laughed. “Most people shy away from her, so…”“Fair enough. I don’t blame people, but she really is a sweet dog.”“Not when she’s working,” Jimin muttered, and then sighed. He’d been agitated all day, and it bothered Yoongi for him. Yoongi frowned. “Nemesis,” he called, and the Shepherd’s head swivelled to meet his eyes immediately. “At ease.” He was just joking around, but to his astonishment, the dog laid down, watching him the entire time. “No fucking way,” he said, eyes wide, looking up at Jimin, who was laughing hysterically. After a moment, he realized Jimin was laughing at him, not at Nemesis, and he sighed. “What did I do stupid?”“That’s not a command,” he said, still laughing. “He just doesn’t listen to orders from you. He probably won’t ever listen to orders from you, to be honest. He only listens to me or Jungkook, and that’s only if I’m not around, because Jungkook trained him.”“Oh. Well. I feel dumb, now,” Yoongi said. Then, it hit him. “Wait a minute,” he said, indignantly, “was him laying down -”“His way of saying, ‘fuck you’? Absolutely,” Jimin answered, nodding while fighting a smile. “What an asshole,” Yoongi responded with a laugh, but it was okay, because Jimin was truly laughing. “Nemi, do you wanna go play?” Nemesis’s tail started wagging slowly, and Yoongi smiled. “Have fun,” Jimin told him, tossing a rope, and he instantly went after it, catching it in his mouth, and then flinging it himself. “Is he playing fetch with himself?” Yoongi asked, unable to stop himself from smiling at the cute sight.“Yeah, most K-9 dogs know how, so that they can let off steam when they’re not working,” Jimin said, grinning. “Teri’s doing it, too.” He pointed, and Yoongi saw the Fila crunching down on the ball before dropping it and pushing it with her nose. “That’s actually really cute,” Yoongi said, Jimin humming.They walked over to a bench, where they could see the dogs, and sat down next to each other with sighs. “Have you heard anything about the report?” Yoongi asked. “Nothing yet,” Jimin said, heaving a great sigh. He shifted onto one of his hips, unintentionally giving Yoongi a clear sight of the gun Yoongi had sold him, sitting on his right hip in a holster on his belt. “I guess it’s one of those…’wait until something happens’ situations, which makes sense. Can’t really do anything if Jooheon isn’t.”“It’ll be okay, Jimin,” Yoongi found himself saying. “You know that, right? We’ll keep you safe, or go down trying.”Jimin smiled. “Thanks, Yoongi,” he said, hand sliding onto Yoongi’s thigh and into his. Yoongi gripped his hand, squeezing it tightly, and sat back, ready to enjoy the day. “Do you think -” Jimin paused, biting his lip and watching Teri run around, making a schnauzer shriek in fear despite not touching it. Jimin swallowed and tried again. “I know that, with everything going on, you might feel a little differently. But - do you still...have feelings for me?”Yoongi took the time he knew Jimin probably wanted him to, frowning thoughtfully even though he instantly knew the answer, and eventually said, “I do. Nothing has changed. I - my heart is broken because I know yours has been, and I’m angry at how long you’ve lived in fear because of one man’s selfishness, but I still really care about you. That’s the same.”Jimin swallowed. “Can we go out on a date?”Yoongi laughed. “Jimin, we’ve been going on dates for months; I just never called them dates because I didn’t think you were ready. But yes, we can go on a date if you’d like.”Jimin blushed, looking down at their linked hands. “I know,” he admitted. “I’ve been - in my head, I mean, I’ve been calling them dates, too. But you’re right: I wasn’t ready to do it out loud.”“Well,” Yoongi said, shifting his body so that he was facing Jimin head-on, “after the dogs are tired out, would you like to go on a lunch date with me?”Jimin beamed. === “Min Yoongi, you piece of shit, how could you forget to tell me you agreed to stash for the Mesos?” Jin demanded, walking into Yoongi’s office in an indignant rage.Yoongi groaned and tilted his head back to stare at the ceiling. “Why does nobody respect the fact that I could have any of you killed at the snap of a finger?” He asked his ceiling, and only received a snort and a row of staples flicked at his neck. “Ow,” he complained, though it hadn’t even hurt. “You know damn well both of your businesses would drown without me, asshole,” Jin responded, and Yoongi sighed again, because he was right. “What do you need?” He asked instead of admitting defeat. Given the way Jin smiled, though, he was pretty sure Jin realized it. “How could you not tell me you went ahead with the Mesos?” Jin asked, standing tall over Yoongi in his chair, arms crossed. Yoongi sighed. “Jin, I told Namjoon to tell you,” he said, and instantly realized his mistake. Jin nearly turned purple. “You told my idiot fiance, who forgets his own fucking pants size, something important about your side business?!”Yoongi could see the problem. “Alright, so - okay, that was a me moment,” he admitted. “To be fair, I told him the other day right before you were supposed to come in, like not even ten minutes before your shift started, so I thought he’d be able to remember, but…”“Listen, I love that man, and I understand that you clearly value him for whatever you use him for on the side - no, I still don’t want to know,” he said through gritted teeth when Yoongi made to open his mouth. Yoongi shut his mouth, but then grinned, loving how easy it was to rile Jin up. “...But you can’t treat him like you treat Hoseok! Hoseok has the memory of a dolphin; Namjoon has the memory of a - a - I don’t know, but it’s not good!”“Jin, you’re actually hurting my ears, now; please stop shouting.”“I will not!” Jin cried, and Yoongi laughed. “This is a big fucking deal, Yoongi,” Jin insisted in a quieter volume. “Have you considered the fact that even though it’s a small shipment and only for a short time, it’s still something we’ve never done? We need to close shop for a few days so nobody sees us going in and out of here. The money would be great, but Hobi had a good point - we can’t trust these people.”“You’re right,” Yoongi said easily, nodding, and Jin went silent, surprised that Yoongi wasn’t being a turd, for once. They tended to bicker like an old married couple, Jin and Yoongi, and though Yoongi adored their banter, he really did have a lot to do to prepare for the Mesos, who were coming in two days. “Hobi’s got Joonie on the TGO site right now, citing a minor pipe reparation going on, so we can close the store. Taehyung will be handling the front tonight, because I’m anticipating a slow day once it gets around that we’re closing, while Hobi’s gonna run to our stash spot and make sure everything’s okay. I’m having dinner tonight with Jimin so I can tell him we’re all going out of town for a few days in the hopes that he’ll go spend some time with his cop friend, stay away from it all, and you’re going to hole up in your house and not contact any of us unless it’s an emergency, and even then, you can talk to me and me only. Joon will be with me during the deal and transport, but he’ll come home with me and stay until it’s safe for him to come back to you without any chance of him being followed, okay?” Jin stayed silent, and Yoongi turned to look at his oldest friend for the first time in the conversation. His heart sank when he saw how nervous Jin looked. “Jin, look,” he began, and Jin swallowed heavily. Yoongi saw his Adam’s apple bob in his throat. “I really don’t think anything’s gonna go down. We can take them and they’d be stupid to try me, because I don’t have an issue making the call to take them out. I’m keeping Joonie only to make sure you stay safe, alright?”“What about him, though?” Jin asked in a whisper, and Yoongi smiled. “He’s staying with me, Hobi, and Taehyung - the best gunners this side of the Rio Grande,” he added in a ridiculous Southern drawl he didn’t usually use, trying to make Jin laugh. It didn’t work, and he sighed. “Jin, I fucking hate you for making me say this, but I’m doing this to keep you out of our business. It would kill me if anything happened to you because I let Joonie get home to you a little too soon. As soon as we’re cleared, I’ll find a way to let you know; I promise.”Jin swallowed heavily and nodded. “Okay,” he said finally, and Yoongi smiled at him. They didn’t usually get emotional with each other, both preferring to show their affection by making fun of the other, but Yoongi supposed he could be a little flexible for Jin’s comfort. “Good,” he said. “Now, go fuck your fiance once he’s done updating the site and contact info, and make sure he’s back before eight so we can go over some shit here in the office; I don’t want to see you again for a few days.”Jin rolled his eyes, hit Yoongi on the back of the head, and walked out, laughing as Yoongi swore at him about the disrespect.