It was a quiet Friday afternoon when Jimin stood before his bedroom mirror adjusting the bow tie that was wrapped about his neck. Distracted with the complex accessory, he didn't notice Taehyung quietly enter his room, slowly approaching behind him until his face appeared hovering above Jimin's right shoulder in the mirror. His kind hands traveled up the older's back and onto his shoulder as he smiled warmly at his love who was dressed impeccably for his mother's wake that they would be attending within the next hour.

Jimin didn't smile back, even though he held eye contact with the younger ever since he became aware of his presence. He knew there was no use in trying after not being able to smile for nearly a week. Not even a full seven days had passed since his mother did so. Needless to say, Jimin wasn't looking forward to greeting so many relatives and family friends and people that day, nor would he have wanted to any day.

"You look beautiful, Jiminie." Taehyung kept his voice low before kissing the top of his boyfriend's head and stroking his arm gently. He hadn't left the boy's side since finding him several days prior, destroying everything within his sight during his mental breakdown. He made sure he was there to tend to his every need, though he didn't need much. Jimin spent most of his time lying in bed and sleeping. Not even bothering to eat a majority of the time. Nothing the younger did would coax him out of his funk, and that killed him. But he was willing to wait. He knew it would take time and he was more than happy to put in the effort to be there for his boyfriend no matter the circumstances.

     "We should probably get going soon. We don't want any guests arriving before us." Taehyung nudged for the older's hand. "You ready?"

     Jimin stared down at the gesture, getting the hint and reluctantly taking Taehyung's hand. "Yeah, let's go," he replied, walking out of his room with the comfort of his boyfriend locked to his side.

❦

     There were no words exchanged on the car ride there. Not a hint of conversation as the couple stepped out into the gravel parking lot of the funeral home. Taehyung had to take lead as his stone faced boyfriend was reluctant to approach the looming structure, taking in its divine stain glass windows and towering columns that outlined the entrance.

     The younger rounded the vehicle in order to intertwine his fingers with Jimin's, escorting him slowly as to not overwhelm him. He could tell by the clamminess of his boyfriend's palms that he was nervous, though his face was too numb to show it.

     "You okay?" The question was shot quickly, a simple nod existing as a response. Taehyung tried to hide the disappointment in his voice as he muttered a gentle "good" to confirm the silent message was received, wishing the older would speak for once. Nevertheless, he understood and was far from pushing him when he had already surpassed his breaking point.

     A sharp gust of wind caught the pair off guard upon opening the doors, Jimin briefly releasing the younger's hand in order to fix his hair that had been blown slightly out of place.

     "You look beautiful," Taehyung reminded.

     Even though it was minuscule, Taehyung took the tiniest hint of a smile that dashed across the smaller's face as a victory, himself following in suit.

     As the two made their way towards the back of the building where the visitation would be held, a woman dressed in all black head to toe came into view. Jimin immediately recognized her as his aunt, his late mother's sister, forcing a sad smile onto his face as he opened his arms in greeting. Jimin's aunt ever so delicately pulled her nephew into a much needed hug, the boy melting into her warm touch.

     His aunt had taken it upon herself to organize every aspect of her sister's wake, funeral, and burial as she knew it would all be too much to handle for her nephew to bare. She didn't want the poor boy to stress and grieve any more than he already had, so she decided to step in and Jimin could never thank her enough for being so strong.

     After a few long seconds, Jimin pulled away to turn his aunt's attention towards the boy with silver hair that stood behind him shyly smiling. "I'd like for you to meet Kim Taehyung. I'm sure you've heard a lot about him." Jimin motioned for the two to shake hands and greet each other formally for the first time.

     However, Jimin's aunt denied the younger's handshake and instead pulled him into a kind, welcoming hug that reminded him too much of her sister.

     "It's so nice to finally meet you, darling. Thank you for being such an angel to this family. It seriously means the world." Jimin's aunt cradled Taehyung's hands in between the homey nest of her own, causing a blush to bloom from the stem of his smile and the seeds of his endearing dimples.

     Taehyung bowed politely. "This family has shown me more love in several months time than I've ever experienced in my entire lifetime. Thank you."

     Jimin's aunt held her heart as she smiled so brightly the entire room seemed to open up.

     It warmed Jimin's heart to see Taehyung fit in with his family so well. Words couldn't describe how grateful Jimin was to find his soulmate so soon.

     "We can go ahead into the room. I just didn't want to go in before you got here, Jimin."

     Jimin had almost forgotten where he was after seeing his boyfriend interact with his aunt. All of those sick feelings like someone had just punched him in his gut came back as he remembered what lied beyond the pristine white door to his left. He could feel his throat closing up as he became jittery.

     "Uh... o-okay, I suppose we can go inside." The panicking boy couldn't hide his fear of crossing that threshold even after feeling so comforted just moments ago.

     "Don't worry, baby," Jimin's aunt threw her arm around his neck and carefully kissed his forehead. "Your mother requested a closed casket. You won't see her if that's what you're worried about. Everything is going to be okay. It's okay to mourn. It's okay to cry. In order for us to move on, we need time to grieve. That's why we're going in before any guests arrive, so we can get rid of all of our emotions in private. But always remember that our angel is in a better place. If there are tears, they will be tears of happiness that she is no longer in pain. That she is no longer suffering. I know you miss her more than anything, but I also know you're the strongest person ever. I miss her too, but it brings me peace that my sister can experience peace again too. This is a celebration of the precious life your mother led. You can do this, Jimin. She believes in you."

     Jimin gulped as he sadly nodded his head towards his aunt as she crept towards the door. Taehyung didn't hesitate to move next to the older, placing a comforting hand behind his back. The younger wasn't sure what he was about to witness once they were inside the room. He hadn't seen Jimin express an emotion other than emptiness in almost a week. He was sure his boyfriend was well out of tears. All there was to do was swallow his concerns and hope for the best.

The moment the door flew ajar, the boy's eyes were met with pastel, lavender lighting against the smooth baby blue walls that surrounded the interior. No casket had come into view yet, so the three of them pushed forward into the room.

That's when Jimin saw it.

The elegant roses that cascaded down the wall and gracefully draped over the hushed pink tone of his mother's final bed rested quietly against the back wall of the room. Jimin clutched his hand over his mouth as he choked out sobs the moment he laid eyes on the image, Taehyung squeezing him tightly to his side as they continued closer. Several intricately placed framed photographs of his beautiful mother decorated the flower sea perfectly.

"It's exactly how she would have wanted it," Jimin's aunt clutched her heart, bitter tears pouring down her blushed cheeks as she placed a trembling hand onto her sister's casket. The entire set up was utterly breathtaking, but the two family members couldn't help but break down into tears knowing their deceased loved one lay lifeless inside of it all.

Jimin couldn't bare to look at it any longer, resorting to hiding his face into his boyfriend's chest, allowing the fabric of Taehyung's suit to muffle his heartbroken cries. The younger held his boyfriend tight in shock of the sudden burst of emotion after such a long time of nothing, rubbing protective and comforting circles against his convulsing back.

Taehyung refrained from whispering his usual comforting words to the older as he felt his throat tighten. He looked over to Jimin's aunt who was doubled over, hugging the casket for dear life as she heaved tears of her own. His eyes danced from picture to picture of the angel's beautiful face, the pale lights illuminating her unforgettable smile pricelessly, each time his vision becoming increasingly blurry. Then, out of nowhere, he felt his own face contort in a fashion of sheer pain, feeling his limbs fall weak as an aching sob escaped his downturned lips, several more following after.

Taehyung had yet to feel the true weight of losing Jimin's mother. He had never fully been able to grieve and express the sadness he felt over the death of the only motherly figure to show him unconditional love. Now, being in a room with the woman's broken son and her torn sister and her lifeless body all at once, it hit him like a freight train and he couldn't fight breaking down.

Jimin briefly looked up to see the pure distress on Taehyung's face which only made him cry harder. He turned around to see his aunt making her way over to the couple to create a group hug to hopefully generate some comfort during such a desperate time.

The kind woman stroked her nephew's hair while using her other hand to rub comforting lines up and down Taehyung's back. "It's gonna be okay, boys. We're going to be okay." She tried her best to manage words through her heavy tears.

The three of them simply swayed in each other's embrace for what felt like eternity until the sobs calmed to whimpers and the whimpers calmed to sniffles and the sniffles calmed to tears that would soon dry within a matter of time. Their eyes just looked so drained against the puffy redness of their nose and cheeks. They were all so, so tired.

Jimin's aunt distributed out some tissues, taking it upon herself to wipe both boy's eyes before her own. "You two can go get cleaned up in the bathroom while I welcome the guests; they should be arriving soon." Her smile attempted to look genuine as best it could before she reached into her bag to reapply her mascara as she made her exit.

Taehyung heaved a loud sigh, admiring the set up one last time before leaving to clean he and his boyfriend's tear-stained faces up. Jimin somehow managed to admire it too, biting his wobbly lip in order to steady it as his tear riddled lashes made it difficult to see very clearly.

"Can we go?" Jimin hoarsely requested, removing his glasses so that it was impossible to stare at the casket any longer.

Taehyung wiped his sleeve under his nose as he nodded silently, resting his arm across the smaller's shoulders to make their way out of the visitation room.

❦

About half an hour had turned since guests started piling into the spacious room that no longer felt so spacious after being invaded by several mourning bodies. Mainly relatives and neighbors and family friends of the Park family showed so far, chatting amongst themselves after sharing their condolences. Taehyung found some sort of comfort in meeting all of his boyfriend's cousins, uncles, and aunts who only carried warmth and happiness with them even through such a difficult time. Who knew the Park's extended family were all angels too?

Unfortunately, Jimin was growing more fidgety and antsy by the minute as the amount of people swarming the room was becoming overwhelming and the sight of pitiful, crying relatives became too much to handle all at once. He scanned the room for his boyfriend, instantly melting at the sight of him playing with his twin little cousins. He had one wrapped tightly around his leg while the other desperately tried to climb up his arm. Jimin couldn't fight a smile as he watched the younger interact with the kids so kindly, laughing with the little boy and girl.

The moment Taehyung caught eye contact with his boyfriend who was watching them play in awe, he picked up both twins and carried them over to Jimin.

"I see you've met the twins," the older giggled as his little cousins reached out for him with grabby hands.

Taehyung handed over the twin brother so that Jimin could hold him while Taehyung held the sister who had already grown a strong liking for the younger. He smiled ear to ear as he watched Jimin kiss his little cousin protectively before the child hugged him tightly.

"Why did you never tell me how amazing your family is?" Taehyung turned to the little girl that he held in his arms making a silly face that made her laugh cutely. "Everyone has been so kind to me so far and so welcoming, I seriously don't understand."

"I'm glad." Jimin smiled proudly at the younger, eventually trading his gaze for one at the ground and his smile fell.

Taehyung tilted his head to the side slightly, frowning. "Hey, why don't you two go find your mommy, okay?" The boy took both twins into his arms, setting them down and pointing them into the direction of where their parents were standing. Hesitantly, they obeyed, waving goodbye to their big cousin and new friend.

Taehyung turned his attention back to his boyfriend who was clearly failing at hiding his hurt. He carefully placed a hand under the older's chin, tilting his head up slowly so that he could look him in the eyes. "How are you holding?" He whispered worriedly.

Jimin's eyes danced side to side and he sucked in his bottom lip to keep it from wobbling. "I'm gonna break any second now." He drew in a shaky breath, blinking away the water that was forming in his eyes.

Taehyung carded his hand through his boyfriend's hair calmingly. "It's okay if you need to get some fresh air for a few minutes," the younger soothed.

"No, no, no, I have to stay here and greet everybody."

"Listen to me, Jiminie."

The older gulped at the nickname.

"You are the strongest person in the world for standing up here and talking to every person who comes through that door. There isn't a single soul in this room that wouldn't understand you having to take a time out to calm down and get away for a while. I'll be right by your side to hold your hand and wipe you tears when you need me. Please take care of yourself for me. I love you. Everyone in this room loves you. Your mom loves you. Now, I'm gonna need you to love you enough to put yourself first for once. I promise it will be okay."

Jimin grabbed the younger into a hug. He tightly wrapped his arms around Taehyung's torso and pressed his head into his chest. The song of his boyfriend's heartbeat blanketed him with comfort, Taehyung enveloping the smaller with protection. The entire outside world disappears when Jimin is in Taehyung's arms. It's his safe space where nothing can hurt him, nothing but pure love and protection surrounding him.

To Taehyung, nothing beat holding his love in his arms. Everytime it felt like he was holding the world, his world. The sense of protecting his baby from harm and hurt brought immense comfort to his own heart. He would never let go for as long as he lived.

Jimin pulled back, lovingly keeping his hands perched around the younger's hips. "That's all I needed," he smiled.

"Feel better?" Taehyung domestically pushed hair behind Jimin's ear, making sure to linger there for second.

Jimin slid up onto his tippy toes, puckering his lips for a kiss. Taehyung bent down and pecked the older's pretty pink lips sweetly, leaving another on the tip of his nose as well.

"I feel better," Jimin assured. "I fucking love you."

Taehyung chuckled at the abrupt remark.

"I fucking love you too."

[a/n:
holy shit i missed you guys :0
i feel like it's been years since we last met! i am deeply sorry it took me so long to update this book, you never know what life will throw at you amarite?
n e way we are slowly but surely inching closer to the end of 'varsity' and i'm already emo abt it :(
i never want this story to end.
i feel like i haven't interacted with y'all for too long so feel free to leave a comment here and i'll try my very best to reply! i love you xx]